After two years of research and analysis the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Foundation (SC&RF) has published a research report called ‘State of the Workforce in the Crane, Rigging and Specialized Transport Industry’. The paper examines and identifies a range of workforce issues within the construction and specialised transportation sectors.

In 2021, SC&RF began surveying companies in the following sectors: Oversize/Overweight Transportation Services, Crane Rental & Services, Rigging Services and Support Services. The survey asked companies about the characteristics of their workforce and the workforce challenges they encounter. Respondents answered questions as members of any of the industries that describe their business.

64 companies completed the survey in full, which resulted in 83 sector-based responses – comprising a productive range of assessment areas, including: In-Field/Operations Occupations, Maintenance, Apprentice/Trainees, Operations Management and Corporate Positions. Within these categories, the survey focused on education, wage range, length of employment and additional issues to address.

“Our mission was to put out the definitive paper on workforce in our industry – data, employee dynamics, wages, recruitment/retention – and make it a living document that will be renewed annually to account for changes in that data,” said Geoff Davis, CEO at Unified Logistics, as well as architect of the survey and SC&RF president at the time of its development.

Davis and his team at SC&RF paid close attention to the types of questions that were asked through the survey. “We didn’t want to put a particular burden on those willing to engage with us, and we wanted to make sure that we asked questions by specific industry segment,” he acknowledged. “We knew we’d need to customize questions, and as a result, the ability to see the data is similar across all of the different verticals, but it’s still data specific to that vertical.”

He was also careful in making sure that SC&RF’s sample size and methodology was statistically sound, and that the information being delivered was clear and unbiased. “It can be easy to go in with an agenda,” he maintained, “but our agenda on this was pure –?to find out what the industry does, what it likes and doesn’t like to do, what it does or doesn’t do well and not make judgments on it but say here’s the data, here’s what our members have told us. So this publication is, without a doubt, data driven.”

Current SC&RF president and owner at JK Crane, Jennifer Gabel, agreed with Davis, emphasising the need to not just analyse, but make efforts to bridge, the skilled-labour gap. “This research report uses data to pinpoint where the opportunities are and provides companies with key focus areas to help them recruit better, thereby strengthening their companies and the industry as a whole.”

Looking ahead, Gabel hopes the research report motivates the industry to continue to work together and tackle the worker shortage more collectively. “The State of the Workforce paper shows what many of us probably already know, that our industry is severely lacking in diversity,” she noted. “While?diversity goals do not supersede merit, it's my hope that we as company leaders use this knowledge to ask how to attract qualified candidates from a more diverse pool. Moreover, this research report indicates that it's going to take a collaborative effort amongst companies, unions and training schools in order to succeed.”

As for what members of the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) – SC&RF’s parent organisation –?as well as non-member construction and transport industries across the country, can take away from the research report, Davis pointed to the process, first and foremost. “There is no proprietary data being exposed – we protected everyone’s confidentiality – so this data doesn’t give anyone a competitive advantage,” he confirmed. “Second, we were able to gather large amounts of data painlessly. And third, inside of the research, our ability to construct the questions, so that we’re answering the right questions, is becoming a core competency.”

As for what SC&RF’s audience can expect from upcoming questions for the annual research report update, Davis indicated that they plan to drill down on regionality. “What does location, regulation, even technology have to do with some of these details,” he pointed out. “So, we’re looking to provide even more context, and utilise the ability to track market changes, technology and workforce changes over time – in order to create relevant time series data.”

The report is available free to SC&RA members and for purchase for non-members. To receive your copy, visit https://scr-foundation.org/2021-workforce-study-state-of-the-industry/.

The 2023 Workforce survey will go out to SC&RA members in September with an anticipated 2024 State of the Workforce Study to be released in the summer of 2024.