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SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT

Embracing Change to Navigate Challenges on the Horizon

separatorJune 10, 2025

In the United States, large-scale infrastructure projects have long stood as cornerstones of progress, fueling both economic and community growth. However, much of the country’s infrastructure was built in the 1960s, leading to an urgent need to address our nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. It’s estimated that as many as one in three bridges currently need replaced.

This poses a serious challenge in the upcoming years. As existing systems age and the demand for infrastructure projects rises exponentially, the construction industry is beginning to see an industry-wide shift towards larger, more complex projects. Unfortunately, the means to execute these initiatives isn’t growing to match the demand.

The construction industry is facing a major disparity:

Every year, approximately 500,000 jobs are lost, and by 2031, as many as 41% of the current construction workforce may retire. This issue is further compounded a lack of interest among younger generations—fewer than 3% of young people are considering construction as a potential career path. To bridge this gap, the industry needs to tap into underrepresented demographics, including women.

Though women make up approximately 45.6% of the overall US workforce, they only account for 11.5% of the construction workforce. If construction companies can attract women and other marginalized groups to the industry, it could help narrow the gap the industry is facing.

Recently, the Green Voice hosted a panel discussion—Pittsburgh Earth Day Women Leading Pittsburgh’s Sustainable Future—on strategies to cultivate diverse talent, foster innovation, and create pathways to sustainable infrastructure.

According to the panel, attracting underrepresented groups won’t be easy—it will require the industry to evolve at a fundamental level. But these changes are necessary to the future of the profession.

By continuing to host events like the “Leading Pittsburgh’s Sustainable Future” panel, the construction industry is taking steps towards attracting underrepresented groups and creating pathways to sustainable infrastructure.
By continuing to host events like the “Leading Pittsburgh’s Sustainable Future” panel, the construction industry is taking steps towards attracting underrepresented groups and creating pathways to sustainable infrastructure.

The first step is outreach, which begins with education.

Yet, women remain underrepresented in academic civil engineering circles, with only 21% of tenured/tenure-track civil engineering faculty being women. Having educators from similar marginalized backgrounds can help students feel a stronger sense of belonging and better navigate challenges that may be unique to their identities.

The panelists from the Pittsburgh Earth Day’s “Leading Pittsburgh’s Sustainable Future” event. From left to right: Samantha Hartzman (Head of Social Impact and Chief Diversity Officer at DLC), Laurie Roy (Senior Vice president, Chief Human Resources Office at S&B USA), Velvet Gaston (Partnerships Director at WRISE), Hollie Geitner (Allegheny Conference and Board Member of PA Women Work), Tracy L. Lawless (Government Affairs Counselor at K&L Gates LLP), Michelle Buys (Director of Environmental Compliance at ALCOSAN), Alicia Booker (Director of Workforce Development at ACAA), and Melissa Bilec (Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Co-director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh).
The panelists from Pittsburgh Earth Day’s “Leading Pittsburgh’s Sustainable Future” event May 21, 2025. From left to right: Samantha Hartzman (Head of Social Impact and Chief Diversity Officer at DLC), Laurie Roy (Senior Vice president, Chief Human Resources Office at S&B USA), Velvet Gaston (Partnerships Director at WRISE), Hollie Geitner (Allegheny Conference and Board Member of PA Women Work), Tracy L. Lawless (Government Affairs Counselor at K&L Gates LLP), Michelle Buys (Director of Environmental Compliance at ALCOSAN), Alicia Booker (Director of Workforce Development at ACAA), and Melissa Bilec (Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Co-director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh).

Another barrier is awareness.

Many people don’t realize breadth of roles available in construction. Companies like S&B USA are beginning to partner with local communities, educators, and technical schools to highlight the industry's many opportunities. These outreach efforts help introduce new audiences to construction and emphasize the potential for growth, innovation, and career development.

However, recruitment is only part of the solution. Retention is just as critical, if not more so.

One of the biggest obstacles for women in construction is the lack of workplace flexibility. The industry is known for its rigid schedules, early start times—often before daycare centers open—and long hours. In the US, women perform nearly 80% of the caregiving for children and elderly family members. By offering benefits like better parental leave or onsite childcare—such as La Petite Academy at the Pittsburgh International Airport—companies are more likely to retain talented individuals who are also supporting families.

Pittsburgh is living on the edge of a moment, and the city needs to embrace the coming change to meet infrastructure demands.

There are several exciting projects on the horizon: in the next few years, Pittsburgh is expecting ALCOSAN’s Ohio River Tunnel project and the transformation of what was once Pennsylvania’s largest coal-fired power plant into a massive gas-powered AI data center campus. Additionally, there are women in positions of power and influence in several key infrastructure-related companies, including the recent Pittsburgh Earth Day panelists. And most importantly, the city has the collective will to be part of this movement.

It's no coincidence that many companies with women in leadership are also leading the charge on environmental, social, and corporate responsibility. This correlation reflects a broader trend—when leadership becomes more diverse, so does the vision of what infrastructure can and should look like.

The construction industry stands at a crossroads.

As the need for infrastructure investment accelerates, the opportunity to redefine who participates in this work grows.

By embracing diversity, fostering flexibility, and creating visible pathways into the field on a local scale, the industry not only address the workforce crisis, but also aims to create and join a movement on a national and global scale that will help promote a more innovative and inclusive future in the process.

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