When I first started in residential construction, my 3 primary framing and cornice crews were all 4th or 5th generation framers/tradesmen. Companies were started by their father’s great- great- grandfather and were passed down through the generations; each learning the trade from a young age by accompanying their fathers and uncles on jobsites.
Grandfathers, uncles and fathers beamed with pride as their children and grandchildren became skilled at building the bones and structure behind the biggest investment that most people make in their lifetime. Loyalty to the family business and quality of craftsmanship were prioritized and desire to carry on the family tradition was strong. There was peace-of-mind for the older generation knowing that their children were going to carry on the family business, and there was peace-of-mind for the younger generation knowing that a career with growth, advancement, and job security awaited them after high school.
While the number of single-family residential homes being built across the country is growing exponentially every year, advancements in technology with parallel truss cords, roof trusses and wall panels premanufactured from plants are causing a shift in this decades-long culture. While skilled laborers are still needed to put the pieces together, not as many are building the pieces themselves.
Couple this with the increased desire among younger generations for easy work and a ‘quick buck.’ Becoming a social media influencer and making money with little to no effort is overpowering the desire to showcase craftsmanship. Children in these families today don’t want to brave the elements to perform their jobs, and hotter summers and colder winters are making daily working conditions more challenging. They know there is good money to be made and a workload that will last well beyond their lifetimes, but it’s not for them. It’s not what they want to do.
In the wake of this shift, many of the trades that are available to builders don’t have the familial pride ingrained in what they do, day in and day out. Without the family name on the company trucks or trailers surrounding the jobsites, there is a distinct decline in the pride that trades take in their work.
In my opinion, this extinction is a sad by-product of the advancement in technology. It also represents a shift in the mindset and motivation of the youth of this country. There is increasingly less of a desire to become a craftsman in a booming industry that can’t provide enough supply for the ever-growing demand. What can we do to create a resurgence in generational trades throughout all facets of the residential construction industry?