Rising wages and plentiful jobs have kept employee morale high, according to a new report. However, the report warns of signs of discontent to watch out for.
The construction sector has the happiest workers of any industry, according to a new report from Bamboo HR. The human resources technology company measured Employee Net Promoter Score at more than 1,600 companies, calculating how likely workers are to recommend their organization as a place to work over the past three years.
The report attributes construction workers' happiness to rising wages and plentiful job opportunities, but also predicts that labor shortages will put pressure on current employees in the coming months. He suggests HR professionals focus on recruiting and training less experienced workers.
Recruiters also need to be alert to discontent, according to the report. From January to May of this year, happiness fell 81%, a steeper decline than the 13% decline from 2020 to today, which the report attributes to pressure from staffing issues.
Employee happiness across industries has fluctuated over the past three years, driven by challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation. Nevertheless, employee happiness in construction remained high overall. However, a construction site isn't always the easiest place to work. Construction work is filled with dangers, and the industry is known for its high rate of suicide and overdose deaths.
Happiness in construction peaked in 2020, according to Bamboo HR, as residential projects boomed and material shortages meant contractors had significant backlogs of work, bringing stability to workers. Meanwhile, laws such as the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan have fueled the economy with more than $4 trillion in investments.
Strong demand for construction work from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also contributed, as did rising wages: Hourly construction wages hit a 40-year high last year.
Happiness has declined slightly since the 2020 peak, and the industry typically experiences seasonal trends in happiness, with lower scores after the fall season and increases at the end of the year.