Home Builders Association warns of aging workforce, outlines Skill to Build programs to recruit veterans and students
Loading...
Summary
Dawn Crandall of the Home Builders Association of Michigan told the committee the average licensed builder is in their mid‑50s and urged more workforce development; she highlighted the Skill to Build Michigan foundation, certification for students, veteran outreach, and a $5,000 grant to provide starter toolkits.
Dawn Crandall, executive vice president for government relations at the Home Builders Association of Michigan and executive director of Skill to Build Michigan Foundation, told the House Committee on Education and Workforce that Michigan faces a looming shortage of skilled residential construction labor.
Crandall cited state data showing the average licensed builder age is 56 and the median is 58, with nearly half of licensees in the 56–66+ age bracket and only about 2,400 licensees aged 18–34. She said Michigan should build roughly 25,000–30,000 single‑family homes annually based on housing stock, but current permit levels are far lower and the workforce is aging.
The witness argued that while many housing cost drivers are outside state control (materials, land, lending, and laws), labor is an area where policy and programs can help. The Home Builders Association’s Skill to Build Michigan Foundation runs certification programs that now reach roughly 500 students across 28 schools and seeks to connect certified students with about 300 employers. Crandall said the foundation recently received a $5,000 grant in Southeast Michigan to provide starter toolkits to newly employed certified students and reported a $2 million FY2023 grant to distribute career materials to 8th–12th graders.
Crandall described partnerships with the Michigan Department of Corrections and vocational villages that provide returning citizens with trade certificates; she said about 75 HBA members would consider hiring graduates of those programs. She also highlighted outreach to veterans and a guidebook linking military job descriptions to residential trade careers.
Representative Wilson thanked Crandall and noted local ties with Skill to Build; Crandall offered to provide books and materials to lawmakers who read to students. There was no committee action following her testimony.
Crandall urged continued investment in training and recruitment to prevent a labor shortage from constraining housing production in Michigan.
