Skilled worker shortage: St. Louis program trains roofers for free

The skilled trades industry is expected to grow 10 percent by 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the same amount of time, more than 3,000,000 skilled trades job openings are expected to go unfilled.

5 On Your Side spoke with representatives from Roofers Local Union No. 2 about the need for skilled workers in the St. Louis area.

“We could use 100 people in this town at any given time,” Union President Dennis Marshall said.

There are plenty of open positions, just not enough workers trained with the skills to fill them. The problem is one that's reflected nationally.

The newest study from Associated Buildings and Contractors says the industry needs to bring in more than 500,000 additional construction workers on top of the regular hiring rate in 2024, to meet the growing demand.

Full story: https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/loc...