Governor Mills signs executive order to boost number of women in construction
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Industry News
By Raine Raynor
AN EXECUTIVE ORDER signed by Governor Janet Mills earlier this year aims to alleviate the construction industry’s workforce shortage by improving the recruitment, training and retention of women in the field.
Job openings in the construction trades have grown significantly along with demand for housing, storm damage to infrastructure and a goal set in the Maine Won’t Wait climate action plan to create 30,000 clean energy jobs by 2030. Meanwhile, women make up just 15% of Maine’s construction workforce, compared to 11% nationally.
“This Executive Order will create pathways for more women to enter and succeed in these important jobs at a time when our state and the industry needs them most,” Mills said at the order’s signing in Augusta.
The order directs state agencies to identify existing barriers to entry for underrepresented groups; collect baseline data; and survey construction employers, unions and staffing agencies to better understand avenues to broaden the recruitment and retention of women. Consultations will help identify and promote benefits such as skills training, health insurance and childcare that could attract more jobseekers, including women.
To boost recruitment and training, state agencies were also tasked with connecting construction employers with women studying the trades in programs such as apprenticeships, vocational rehabilitation and community colleges, as well as unemployed people and those registered with the state’s Career Centers. Finally, the order directs state departments to pursue grants that will incentivize construction businesses to hire women.
“Bringing women into the workforce and diversifying a team is the most important aspect to both construction executives and to strengthen the workplace,” said Mary Matthews, president of the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction. “It’s necessary to include women in the industry because it creates a stronger and more advanced talent pool.”
This article appeared in the Fall 2024 edition of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES. Subscribe today!
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