Gross sales for concrete paver contractors in the United States and Canada increased by 7.8% during 2020, while four of every five contractors reported difficulty in recruiting and hiring quality employees, according to a new survey soon to be released by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI).
“Contractors in the segmental concrete pavement industry are experiencing significant growth in sales,” said Marshall Brown, ICPI Board Chair. “However, this report also confirms a challenge for our industry. There is a large shortage of skilled installers. That is why ICPI has launched a workforce development program to attract more people into the industry and better train the people who are already involved. We have developed a career resource website hardscapingis.com, as well as an online learning center, The Hardscape Institute, where people can better access the industry’s top education programs. We are also working on marketing materials to help member contractors recruit more young people into the craft.”