Women leading the way in construction industry celebrate Women in Construction Week

The construction industry isn't always a career path women consider when looking at their future – but this week, women in construction are gathering to celebrate and spotlight the many opportunities.

March 3 - 9 is National Women in Construction Week, which aims to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women and emphasize the growing role in shaping some of the country's most exciting projects.

"It's a great opportunity to recognize the women in this industry -- because it's not necessarily an industry we always think about as an opportunity for women, but there are great careers here. So it really spotlights what the industry has to offer women in terms of employment," said Beth Sayman, VP Account Manager for Skanska.

Not only are there skilled trade roles, such as electricians, carpenters and plumbers -- they are need project managers, estimaters, accountants, marketing experts, sales people and business development.

"There's a breadth of opportunities in construction no matter what you're interested in," said Sayman.

She says it's a supportive environment that also offers time for work-life balance and family.

"We celebrate Women in Construction every year. It's really important for us to get out in the market and make sure women know about all opportunities -- from project conception all the way to installation. There's so many opportunities, whether it's on the administrative side, the business development side, out in the field." said Elizabeth Wallace, another leading woman in the construction industry.

"I actually studied fashion in college, so I never ever thought this is what I'd be doing. I just got connected when I was 21 right out of college, and I worked my way up. I was a showroom manager, I was a project manager for about 5 years and now I'm on the business development and sales side.

Women make up nearly 11% of construction industry and are key to filling labor shortages.

While great strides have been made, more must be done to meet the ever-growing demand for trained industry labor, The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 500,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2024 to meet the demand for labor, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors.