The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and the Alabama Associated General Contractors released new data on how enhanced immigration enforcement is affecting workforce shortages in Alabama.
The announcement took place during a joint press conference at the Riverchase Career Connections Center.
According to data from AGC's chief economist Ken Simonson, 21 percent of Alabama's construction workforce is foreign workers. Combined with higher tariffs and a lack of qualified workers, the industry is facing labor shortages and rising business costs.
"Construction is a lot more vulnerable to anything that affects the foreign-born population of workers," Ken Simonson said.
Simonson identified measures that public officials should take to combat the shortage, and Alabama AGC has already begun taking steps to address this trend. To tackle the state's shortage, Alabama AGC has implemented a three-prong approach: providing grant-funded, free training opportunities for workers, introducing early education for students and school administrators about career paths in construction and offering training courses in Spanish to increase accessibility for non-English speakers.
Local contractors Mike Scarborough (Rabren General Contractors, Inc.) and Hasting Sykes (Sykes Weaver, LLC) both shared the impact labor shortages have had on their businesses and the importance of these programs.
"Alabama's construction industry is working hard, through the Alabama AGC, to make sure our state is preparing the next generation of construction professionals," said Sykes. "Lawmakers in Montgomery understand the economic benefits of having a robust construction workforce, but we know there is still a lot of work left to be done."
Since 2023, Alabama AGC has secured $540,000 to train more than 770 employees at no cost for 63 contractors across the state. The association plans to secure another $480,000 in October 2025 for workforce training. It also created a high school outreach program to promote career technical programs and partnered with Go Build Alabama to promote construction employment and education.
Alabama's construction firms reported that 48 percent of applicants are not qualified to work in the industry, according to NCCER. This makes resources like Alabama AGC's craft training, high school outreach, Riverchase Career Connections Center, and Go Build vital to preserving the state's industry.
For more information, visit alagc.org/
