Modular Building Is Helping The Construction Industry Combat Labor Shortages
High-tech automation plants are building homes like legos, and experts say they could help the construction industry deal with a crippling labor shortage.
A massive construction pipeline and chronic labor shortages are forcing developers to pay workers up to 30% higher wages. To meet growing demand while keeping costs in check, some developers, including Marriott, are hiring factories to construct buildings in sections, Bloomberg reports.
While modular construction has been around since the early 1900s, one plant near Baltimore is using robots to help it build larger and more elaborately designed buildings. Experts said increased use of modular construction could ameliorate the labor shortage without displacing workers, since workers are needed to supervise the automation, but that first the industry needs to shake the negative stigma attached to modular construction.
