40% of Your Workforce Will Be Gone in 6 Years

Are you prepared?

The skilled trades are facing a quiet crisis and it’s gaining speed.

According to recent data, 40% of the U.S. construction workforce is expected to retire or leave the industry within the next 6 years. That means millions of experienced tradespeople, superintendents, and project managers walking off the job.  They’re taking decades of hard-earned knowledge with them.

It’s called the Silver Tsunami and it’s already crashing into our industry.  There is no question that this is a right-now problem that’s already affecting your jobsite, your profit margins, and your peace of mind.

In this article, we’ll break down what the “Silver Tsunami” really means, why traditional hiring strategies won’t work, and most importantly what construction leaders like you can do to protect your team and preserve what really matters: knowledge, quality, and culture.

Before we dig in — grab your free Silver Tsunami Survival Guide. It’s the perfect resource to help you build your workforce plan before it's too late.

If you’re looking to more information on how to Survive the Silver Tsunami – start by buying our book! 

The Wave Is Already Crashing

Those in the industry are aware of the construction workforce shortage.  After all, the construction workforce has been aging for decades.

• The average age of a construction worker in the U.S. is 42.3 years old — up from 38.5 just a decade ago.

• 1 in 5 skilled trades workers is over 55.

• Fewer than 7% of high school students consider a career in the trades.

Municipal delays, longer project timelines, and the scarcity of experienced hands are all symptoms of the same disease: a mass exodus of institutional knowledge as older workers retire.  It is not hyperbole to call this a construction industry workforce crisis.

This isn’t just about headcount (though that’s a legitimate struggle) it’s also about the loss of wisdom, instincts, and real time micro-decision problem solving that you can’t teach in a classroom.

Why the Old Way Won’t Work Anymore

For years, the assumed solution was simple: just hire more people.

Unfortunately, every contractor, builder, and trades business owner is now realizing:

• You can’t replace a 30-year carpenter with a 30-day hire.

• You can’t clone your best foreman.

• You can’t scale your business if all the knowledge lives inside someone’s head.

Worse? Many of your most valuable employees aren’t writing anything down. There are no Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), no recorded “how we do it here,” and no structured handoff plan in place.

So what happens when they leave?  How will you transfer 30 years of knowledge and experience?  How will you determine who stakes over the work that was being done by those about to leave? 

The answer is as easy as it is devastating.  You start over…..from scratch.

What Smart Construction Companies Are Doing Right Now

The truth is, you needed a plan 5 years ago.  And more than likely, you don’t have one.  But here’s the good news: it’s not too late. The first step is to shift from reactive to proactive.

The best contractors and builders in the country are already doing these 3 things:

1. Capturing Knowledge Before It Walks Out

Create a process for retiring or senior employees to document, record, and transfer their know-how. Not just jobsite steps, but their decision-making, their soft skills, and their troubleshooting logic.

Use tools like our Knowledge Transfer Journal to make it easy for senior workers to guide and document what they’re teaching. You’re not just saving time you’re preserving your company’s lifeblood!

2. Creating SOPs That Actually Get Followed

Most Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in construction are either:

• Nonexistent

• Outdated, living in a binder somewhere

• Written by someone who’s never even held a hammer

You can fix that.  And this does not have to be a Herculean lift.  Start small: take one key task per crew (like window installation or safety walk-throughs) and write a clear, visual, step-by-step SOP.

Need help? Grab our Construction SOP Template it's free and field-tested.

3. Investing in First-Time Manager Training

Here’s a difficult truth that you already know: your next crew leaders aren’t ready. They’ve got the hands-on skill, but they don’t yet know how to delegate, correct, coach, or lead.  Especially when it comes to the younger generation and their unique needs.

If you promote without training, you don’t get leadership you get burnout.  Both theirs AND yours.

That’s why companies are using tools like our Train-the-Trainer Bundle and First-Time Manager Field Guide to grow foremen who know how to lead people, not just swing tools.

It’s Not Too Late.  But the Water is Rising

This problem isn’t going away and it’s not going to solve itself.  But there is opportunity, not just to survive – but to thrive.

If you want your business to be poised for growth – heading towards the coming workforce cliff, you need to start treating knowledge like an asset and your people like a legacy.

Download the Silver Tsunami Survival GuideWe built it for leaders like you; contractors, owners, remodelers, trades trainers who want to do more than hope for the best.

You’ll get:

• A 5-step plan to start transferring knowledge today

• Tools to identify your high-risk roles

• A checklist for capturing SOPs without slowing production

Ready to future-proof your jobsite?

Start by grabbing the free guide, then check out our full Train-the-Trainer resources to lead the next generation the right way.