The Work Is Here

The funding and the work are here, but not the folks to do it

Few periods in recent history have so clearly required the talents and skills of engineers and related professionals. Aging infrastructure is in every city and county across the U.S. Lately the call to act and repair this infrastructure is accelerating and many organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) have fueled this urgency. Since 1998, for example, the ASCE has been issuing report cards every four years on the state of the country’s infrastructure. The reports have focused attention on the unsafe and compromised state of everything from roads and bridges to dams, levees and more in the U.S.—essentially all the fundamental working parts of a country that considers itself a 1st world economy. Aside from a B rating in 2017 to describe the state of the U.S. rail sector, most grades fall in the C to D range—and have remained there. Clearly, plenty needs to be done to reverse this trend.

Fortunately, Congress passed several federal laws in the last five years, like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—part of the Invest in America initiative—which is providing $501 billion for state projects. Other federal programs—from the Build Back Better to the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act—are providing significant funding as well. We have the political will, the funding, and the need, but the fourth—and most critical— leg of the “stool” is failing—if not missing altogether. Quite simply, we don’t have the human capital necessary to carry out the work. According to several sources, this predicament represents a “perfect storm” of converging factors. The country has a need—for trained engineers and technicians with advanced skills— but insufficient capacity to address that need. Do we recruit outside the U.S., lean even more on technology, or focus on some alternative strategy altogether?

What the data show

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the civil engineering job market is projected to grow on average 6% faster than most other fields between 2023 and 2033. This projected growth, however, is countered by data suggesting insufficient numbers of engineers—and supporting technicians—to meet the accelerating demand.

The age break-down of currently employed engineers shows a large percentage of the workforce nearing retirement. Within the next 10 years, in fact, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (National Academies) project that nearly 20% of the current engineering workforce will be eligible to retire. It isn’t just engineers that are fewer in number, but the technicians who assist engineers are scarce as well. The U.S. will likely experience a shortage of nearly 3 million skilled technicians by 2033. The National Academies has stated that the U.S. needs a “whole of government” approach to recruitment of talent in STEM fields to remain globally competitive.

The engineering shortage is already apparent in regions across the U.S. with limited capacity acting as a “bottleneck” to large infrastructure projects. The Seattle Times reported recently that even though billions of dollars are targeted for a range of projects in the State of Washington—from light-rail to waterfront development—fewer companies are bidding on these projects. Proposals that historically generated six or more bids, now bring in only 2 or 3. A survey of consulting firms conducted by the Washington State Department of Transportation showed that companies were reluctant to bid because of too few engineers to take on the extra work.

What some solutions look like

Because we are talking about long-term trends, engineering firms keen on getting ahead of the crisis are considering their options. Like the U.S. government, the private sector is intent on more aggressively recruiting for talent. This takes the form of working more closely with technical colleges and other community-based organizations to develop and recruit talent. Apprenticeship and mentoring opportunities are on the rise as well. Companies are also paying attention to retaining the talent they already have: work/life balance options and opportunities for engineers and technical staff to develop their skills and grow careers are increasingly common.

According to the ASCE, when they can find them, consulting firms are also turning to technicians to perform some of the work of engineers. They are considering candidates with bachelor’s degrees for historically master’s degree positions. These firms are hiring outside the engineering field in areas like geology and physics to secure talent that has the potential to be trained. So urgent is the need for engineering and related talent that on occasion firms are acquiring other firms just to secure the talent they desperately need.

Tech solutions to engineer shortages

The solutions mentioned above are viable solutions to the engineering shortage, but there’s another approach to consider, one that builds on this country’s robust tech history. Engineers have always used tools to get their work done. Simple instruments for measurement and computation gave way to basic computer programs in the late 20th century. Early computer simulations of river flow (HEC-2 in 1968) reduced the workload of a single engineer considerably.

Today’s best engineering tools provide not just the base computational/modeling engine but the equivalent of a competent technician working alongside the engineer, equipped to integrate relevant geospatial data files and perform front-end model development. Technology will never completely replace the trained or experienced engineer—the textbook ideal in all circumstances—but it can provide considerable help in a pinch.

As the National Academies indicated, we must adopt a “whole of government” and perhaps more accurately, a “whole of economy” approach. The development of STEM talent must be a focus of the public—and private— sectors in the years ahead. The continued global viability, competitiveness of our country, and strength and resilience of the nation’s infrastructure depends on it.