How the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected the U.S. Residential Construction Industry’s Labor Workforce: An Analysis of Interior vs. Exterior Trades in three Metropolitan Areas

9 pages•Published: December 11, 2023

Shannon Ellis, Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez and Erin Arneson

Abstract

The coronavirus disease has plagued the United States beginning in March 2020 and extending to today, leaving everyone uncertain. Governmental shutdowns, the spread of infection, and more than a million deaths have threatened communities and industries. The residential construction industry was not immune to these challenges. In particular, the residential construction industry contributes significantly to the United States’ economic health and growth, so it is crucial to understand this industry’s adversities during the pandemic. This study aims to understand the residential construction industry’s employment differences between different construction trades and different geographical areas pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19. The geographical areas analyzed were three metropolitan areas in the U.S., including Miami, FL., Los Angeles, CA, and Columbus, OH. Six different trades were analyzed within these three metropolitan areas, consisting of three interior and three exterior trades. The results indicated an employment disparity amongst construction trades across different metropolitan areas. With this information, the residential construction industry may understand which trades and their geographical areas are more susceptible to employment hardships during economic and health downturns.

Keyphrases: employment, metropolitan statistical areas, pandemic, residential

In: Tom Leathem, Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud (editors). Proceedings of 59th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 4, pages 623-631.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/rB32F
	https://doi.org/10.29007/ck2q

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2023:How_COVID_19_Pandemic,
  author    = {Shannon Ellis and Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez and Erin Arneson},
  title     = {How the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected the U.S. Residential Construction Industry’s Labor Workforce: An Analysis of Interior vs. Exterior Trades in three Metropolitan Areas},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of 59th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference},
  editor    = {Tom Leathem and Wes Collins and Anthony Perrenoud},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {4},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/rB32F},
  doi       = {10.29007/ck2q},
  pages     = {623-631},
  year      = {2023}}

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