Director's Message: Future of Framing

What’s Next for the Industry? 

I’ve been in construction in some form for nearly all my life. I literally grew up in my family’s lumberyard in north-central Montana where my dad would send me out to the “yard” to entertain myself for hours on end. I was excited at 12 years old to finally start being paid minimum wage ($4.25 at the time) for the various tasks I would help with, whether it was sweeping, stocking lumber bins, or loading customers. The only catch was that my hours were cut in half making my effective hourly rate $2.12/hour (I’m guessing the statute of limitations on any child labor laws have run out!). But hey, with all my expenses covered, living at home, I felt I was on top of the world each payday! 

As I entered high school, my grandfather retired from the business and wanted to build homes as he had earlier in his life. I spent my summers working alongside him with some extensive help from my grandmother and my father on the weekends. It was a small workforce, but I learned a lot from setting wood basement panels and framing walls to setting trusses, installing doors and windows, fascia, soffit, siding, cabinets, and trim. 

One thing I always noticed about the construction trades and specifically about framers, was the age of the workers were always split between two groups. I observed middle-aged and older men who were lifelong construction workers and young helpers; able-bodied and learning a trade. It seemed as though the generational progression would naturally evolve on its own. However, with the onset of the Great Recession led by the downturn of the U.S. housing market, many of those who would’ve been successors to the construction industry were forced to find other work. 

As housing climbed out of the recession, builders and others in construction did what they could to find people to fill open positions. While construction, and framing in particular, have always included immigrant labor, in the nearly 20 years since the Great Recession, the construction industry has become more reliant on immigrant labor. “More than half (53%) of the three million immigrant construction workers reside in the four most populous states in the U.S. – California, Texas, Florida, and New York” (NAHB Geographic Concentration of Immigrants in Construction1).

While construction, and framing in particular, have always included immigrant labor, in the nearly 20 years since the Great Recession, the construction industry has become more reliant on immigrant labor. 

On the surface, there is nothing wrong with immigrant labor; after all, finding someone who is a hard worker and knows his or her trade, isn’t just a win for the contractor, it’s a win for the entire industry. However, when you overlay changing administrations and ideologies, each of us who have some relationship to the construction industry need to anticipate the effects of changing winds on the overall industry. 

A 2021 report from the Center for American Progress estimates undocumented immigrants make up about 23% of the construction laborer workforce in the United States2; I’m guessing the percentages have increased based on anecdotal illegal immigration reports in the news the past couple of years. The questions become, will the new administration look to deport many of these construction workers, will the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) more strictly enforce I-9 requirements, and how many of the construction workers currently in the U.S. will voluntarily choose to leave on their own fearing varying levels of enforcement based on their status? 

One thing that is certain is the U.S. demand for housing will not sustain itself via new construction in the near term. People will continue to want to buy houses and apartments framed by people like you; it’s just a matter of figuring out the age-old question of how to do more with less. Will better systems help you and your team become more efficient at framing? Will a change in business model from labor-only to turnkey allow you to take days out of your cycle time? Will a transition to component solutions, specifically built around a systems approach, allow you to frame more units with fewer people? Where do you find answers to questions like these? 

Well, that’s where this magazine and the National Framers Council (NFC) come in. Where many approach construction with dismissiveness and pessimism, I see opportunity and optimism. Sitting in meetings with NFC leadership and witnessing how they help one another and crowdsource solutions to common problems is inspiring and reassuring to the success of this industry. I’m confident America’s framers will rise to the challenge and continue our journey to more plentiful and affordable housing to all. I’ve seen the future of framing and while it may be different than what I’ve grown up with, it certainly 
is bright! 

Jess Lohse
Executive Director
National Framers Council
jlohse@sbcacomponents.com
(224) 236-3904 (desk/text)

1     www.nahb.org/advocacy/industry-issues/labor-and-employment/immigration-reform-is-key-to-building-a-skilled-workforce/geographic-concentration-of-immigrants-in-construction
2     www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/EW-Construction-factsheet.pdf