Women in the heavy construction equipment industry? What comes to your mind when you hear this phrase? Is it challenging for women to work in this industry? Or are there any other biases that come in your way to think like that?
There is no doubt that working in heavy industry with heavy machinery is challenging and risky. But we live in an era where we can not segregate women in any sector. The heavy construction equipment business is no exception.
Women thrive in every sector of the business, despite how hard and challenging it is. They make their way and conquer every part of it. It’s sometimes the biases that come in the way that hinder women from coming forward.
It is because we still live in a male-dominated society, and we think that certain types of jobs that require the power can only be done by men. However, the tables have turned now, and technology makes it easy for everyone. No,working in the heavy equipment industry or handling the heavy machines is not restricted to any gender.
Current situation of labor in heavy industry
It is an undeniable fact that the heavy construction equipment industry is going through a labor crisis. It is not sudden and is today’s issue. The industry has been facing this for a long time, and after implementing a number of strategic moves the industry is still somewhat failing to tackle the issue.
The retention of the previous employees, the failure to attract the new generation, economic fluctuation, traditional methods, and a number of other factors make it complicated.
The heavy equipment manufacturing companies collaborated with the institute to attract the youngsters and it went well but did not solve the issue completely. The number of employees required in the industry is getting higher and higher with each passing day. The demand for skilled workers and heavy equipment operators is driven by the increasing number of projects.
What should we do now? What sorts of planning do we need to mitigate the issue? The women in the construction industry are a way to this.
Women in construction in the U.S.
The United States of America is also grappling with the unprecedented issue of labor crises. However, in the U.S., women are working in the heavy equipment industry.
If we see the current stats of the U.S., it is 11.3% of women working in the construction industry, which is approximately 1.34 million, and this number has increased by more than 40% in the last decade. After the phenomenal number and indeed the result, the construction project with women working in it is amazing.
So, in the current time, the number 1.34 million is predicted to increase, if certain norms could be mitigated. The more women get the opportunity to work in the industry, the more it thrives and simultaneously mitigates the labor crisis.
The role of electric and autonomous machines
The innovations and advancements in heavy construction equipment are transforming, and one of the best things that has happened to it. It solved a lot of issues and minimized the errors that were happening previously with manual settings.
The advancement makes it easier for the operator to handle the machine. Tools and equipment in the machine enhance the productivity level of the machine. Now there is one operator that handles multiple things with their smart operating system.
Furthermore, they can handle it remotely. They do not have to resent it there, in most of the software they employed some other place to handle it. Regardless of such innovations and enhancement there is a need for employees who know how to use these tools.
Again the skilled and experienced operator who has both contemporary knowledge of the advanced tools and technical issues of the machine. With shortage of labor the autonomous machine also could not tackle the issue thoroughly.
Although it helped a lot to the operator and whole new features have been launched each passing day by the manufacturing companies. But is it enough to solve the crisis? The simple answer is no! Along with the automations, they can enhance the efficiency and maximize the production, but can not address the labor crisis.
Why should this be the top priority?
The U.S., Europe, and other parts of the world are on the verge of transformation. They need more inclusive policies and to get more and more women on board to break the stigma. This one will be a major breakthrough if companies are successful in recruiting women in the construction industry.
Similar to this and to some extent relevant other industries also require labor with a skillset that women have. Considering the electrical industry as an example, based on the current outlook, they need more than 80,000 electricians to start working each year over the following ten years to catch up with the expected demand.
At this point, the heavy construction equipment needs to focus on training and upskilling our employees. All these groups have to join forces to encourage people, especially women, who have been reluctant to pursue construction in the past, to enter the industry. Among all these groups, women are the most affected.
