While the construction industry is male-dominated nationally, the underrepresentation of women in construction is less pronounced in certain parts of the country. Researchers ranked locations by the percentage of employees in the construction industry that are female.

These are the main takeaways from the report, highlighting some key stats for Georgia:

• Construction has long been a male-dominated field: nationally, only about 11 out of every 100 payroll employees in the construction industry are women. This share has been increasing in recent years, however. Prior to 2016, women accounted for roughly 9 out of every 100 employees in the construction workforce.

• Another promising shift is underway: in 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of $5 million to encourage and support women in registered apprenticeship programs in underrepresented industries like construction.

• The construction industry is facing a massive worker shortage, so the recruitment of women into these careers will likely continue to grow in importance.

• In Georgia specifically, women account for 11.3% of construction industry employees—a considerably larger share than the 11.1% nationally.

• Among all U.S. states, Georgia has the 14th largest share of female employees in the construction industry.

Construction has long been a male-dominated field. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, only about 11% of payroll employees in the construction industry are women. However, a promising shift is underway. Following ongoing efforts to diversify the construction workforce, the U.S. Department of Labor announced in April 2023 the availability of $5 million to encourage and support women in registered apprenticeship programs in underrepresented industries like construction. And with the construction industry facing a massive worker shortage, the recruitment of women into construction careers will likely continue to grow in importance.

While there is still a long way to go to achieve proportional representation, the share of female employment in construction has been increasing in recent years. Prior to 2016, women accounted for roughly nine out of every 100 employees in the construction workforce. However, since then, the female employment share climbed nearly every year and sits at 11.1% as of 2022.

Read more at constructioncoverage.com