ForConstructionPros.com

Eric Morse, Public Relations, Ingersoll Rand

The labor force in the United States is aging. According to the Center to Protect Workers' Rights (CPWR), the average age of the national workforce increased from 37.3 to 39.4 years between 1980 and 2000. During the same period, the median age of the workers increased from 35 to 39 years old.

The construction industry mirrors these numbers. In 2002, the last time the CPWR published a study on the subject, the average age for construction workers was 37.5. Many industry analysts now agree that the average age of construction workers has reached 40.

What does this mean for the asphalt industry? The United States is expected to have an increase in motor vehicle traffic from 2.7 trillion in 2000 to 3.3 trillion in 2010. Truck traffic alone is expected to double by 2020. The industry will need a robust workforce to maintain and build new roads to handle this traffic increase. A younger labor force will need to replace the current one as its members age and retire.

As with any industry or trade, the inexperience of younger workers is the biggest challenge in making them productive. Training is the key to preparing operators of asphalt pavers and compactors for careers that will meet the industry's demands.

"A young person starting in the business should start on the tools," says Peter Fleming, training specialist with the Ingersoll Rand Road Institute, an education center for asphalt paver and compactor operators and mechanics. "Young people should begin on the rakes, lutes, saws, brushes, and shovels so they can see the broader aspects of how asphalt surfaces are constructed."