{"id":51951,"date":"2024-12-16T09:02:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T09:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.civilgeo.com\/?p=51951"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:50:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T10:50:36","slug":"the-work-is-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.civilgeo.com\/the-work-is-here\/","title":{"rendered":"The Work Is Here"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The funding and the work are here, but not the folks to do it<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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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\u2019s 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.\u2014essentially 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\u2014and have remained there. Clearly, plenty needs to be done to reverse this trend.<\/p>

Fortunately, Congress passed several federal laws in the last five years, like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law\u2014part of the Invest in America initiative\u2014which is providing $501 billion for state projects. Other federal programs\u2014from the Build Back Better to the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act\u2014are providing significant funding as well. We have the political will, the funding, and the need, but the fourth\u2014and most critical\u2014 leg of the \u201cstool\u201d is failing\u2014if not missing altogether. Quite simply, we don\u2019t have the human capital necessary to carry out the work. According to several sources, this predicament represents a \u201cperfect storm\u201d of converging factors. The country has a need\u2014for trained engineers and technicians with advanced skills\u2014 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?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What the data show<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>, 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\u2014and supporting technicians\u2014to meet the accelerating demand.<\/p>

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\u2019t 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 \u201cwhole of government\u201d approach to recruitment of talent in STEM fields to remain globally competitive.<\/p>

The engineering shortage is already apparent in regions across the U.S. with limited capacity acting as a \u201cbottleneck\u201d to large infrastructure projects. The Seattle Times<\/a> reported recently that even though billions of dollars are targeted for a range of projects in the State of Washington\u2014from light-rail to waterfront development\u2014fewer 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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What some solutions look like<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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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.<\/p>

According to the ASCE<\/a>, 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\u2019s degrees for historically master\u2019s 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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Tech solutions to engineer shortages<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The solutions mentioned above are viable solutions to the engineering shortage, but there\u2019s another approach to consider, one that builds on this country\u2019s 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.<\/p>

Today\u2019s 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\u2014the textbook ideal in all circumstances\u2014but it can provide considerable help in a pinch.<\/p>

As the National Academies indicated, we must adopt a \u201cwhole of government\u201d and perhaps more accurately, a \u201cwhole of economy\u201d approach. The development of STEM talent must be a focus of the public\u2014and private\u2014 sectors in the years ahead. The continued global viability, competitiveness of our country, and strength and resilience of the nation\u2019s infrastructure depends on it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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