ConDig (14-Mar-19).  The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has called on Congress to back plans to roll out a temporary worker visa program for the construction industry.

The association said it believed that the Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act, introduced by Pennsylvania Congressmen Lloyd Smucker, would help cut illegal immigration and address a deepening skills shortage in construction.

“The shortage of available, qualified, workers in many parts of the country threatens to undermine continued economic growth,” said chief executive officer of AGC, Stephen E. Sandherr.

It comes as 80% of construction firms reported last year they were having a hard time finding qualified workers to hire. 

Sandherr noted that the association had long advocated for a temporary worker visa system for the construction sector that allows for more workers during periods when labor is scarce, but lowers the number of visas during slower economic cycles. 

“Creating a temporary, flexible, worker visa system will allow all types of economic development to proceed without costly delays caused by workforce shortages,” he said.

In June last year, AGC called on Congress to revamp the immigration system to help alleviate a deepening skills shortage that is crippling the sector.

A detailed report published by the US Chamber of Commerce and the USG Corporation at the end of last year showed that 95% of contractors have major issues hiring skilled workers for their construction projects.