The construction industry has been facing a decline in skilled trade labor for decades. This study asks three overarching questions: (a) What are the causes and influencing factors of Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage? (b) How are Michigan stakeholders in the Great Lakes Region remedying the shortage? (c) What new solutions can be implemented to remedy Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage? A literature review was conducted to identify causes, influencing factors, and research gaps. Closed surveys questioning 69 construction project managers and 101 skilled trade laborers in Michigan were conducted online and on construction sites. A quantitative analysis of the data was conducted utilizing various statistical methods, including the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests. Significant results were detected in questions related to the following factors: demographics, work environments, education, and employment which then generated ideas for remedies and future research.
","abstract_html":"<p>The construction industry has been facing a decline in skilled trade labor for decades. This study asks three overarching questions: (a) What are the causes and influencing factors of Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage? (b) How are Michigan stakeholders in the Great Lakes Region remedying the shortage? (c) What new solutions can be implemented to remedy Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage? A literature review was conducted to identify causes, influencing factors, and research gaps. Closed surveys questioning 69 construction project managers and 101 skilled trade laborers in Michigan were conducted online and on construction sites. A quantitative analysis of the data was conducted utilizing various statistical methods, including the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests. Significant results were detected in questions related to the following factors: demographics, work environments, education, and employment which then generated ideas for remedies and future research.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Russell, Jennifer E."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Visual and Built Environments","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Raed T. El Jarrah, Ph.D.","Suleiman Ashur, Ph.D.","Kasim Korkmaz, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:47Z","subjects":["skilled","construction","laborer","shortage","Michigan","Construction Engineering and Management","Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1224","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Raed T. El Jarrah, Ph.D.","Suleiman Ashur, Ph.D.","Kasim Korkmaz, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Russell, Jennifer E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-02-22T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Visual and Built Environments"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["skilled","construction","laborer","shortage","Michigan","Construction Engineering and Management","Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1224"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The construction industry has been facing a decline in skilled trade labor for decades. This study asks three overarching questions: (a) What are the causes and influencing factors of Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage? (b) How are Michigan stakeholders in the Great Lakes Region remedying the shortage? (c) What new solutions can be implemented to remedy Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage? A literature review was conducted to identify causes, influencing factors, and research gaps. Closed surveys questioning 69 construction project managers and 101 skilled trade laborers in Michigan were conducted online and on construction sites. A quantitative analysis of the data was conducted utilizing various statistical methods, including the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests. Significant results were detected in questions related to the following factors: demographics, work environments, education, and employment which then generated ideas for remedies and future research.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Investigating Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage within the Great Lakes Region"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Raed T. El Jarrah, Ph.D.","Suleiman Ashur, Ph.D.","Kasim Korkmaz, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Russell, Jennifer E."],"dc:date.available":["2024-02-22T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The construction industry has been facing a decline in skilled trade labor for decades. This study asks three overarching questions: (a) What are the causes and influencing factors of Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage? (b) How are Michigan stakeholders in the Great Lakes Region remedying the shortage? (c) What new solutions can be implemented to remedy Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage? A literature review was conducted to identify causes, influencing factors, and research gaps. Closed surveys questioning 69 construction project managers and 101 skilled trade laborers in Michigan were conducted online and on construction sites. A quantitative analysis of the data was conducted utilizing various statistical methods, including the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests. Significant results were detected in questions related to the following factors: demographics, work environments, education, and employment which then generated ideas for remedies and future research.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1224"],"dc:subject":["skilled","construction","laborer","shortage","Michigan","Construction Engineering and Management","Engineering"],"dc:title":["Investigating Michigan’s skilled construction laborer shortage within the Great Lakes Region"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Visual and Built Environments"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:47Z"}