Why Construction Leaders Can't Hire Their Way Out of the Labor Shortage

Construction and AEC leaders can't solve the construction labor shortage by hiring faster - employee retention is the leadership problem to solve.

Every firm says it has a great culture, a clear career path, and a mission that matters. Yet the best architects and engineers still leave - and most leaders misdiagnose why. If your posting reads like ten other midsize firms, you don't have a pipeline problem.

In this episode, Ryan Ware talks with Bryce Batts, Co-Founder of Career Collective and AEC recruiter with 20 years in architecture, engineering, and construction, about how the market flipped from employer-driven to candidate-driven, why great candidates disappear in about 10 days, and what construction leaders must change to keep the people they already have.

In this episode:
* Why great candidates are on the market for ~10 days - and what slows firms down
* How the 2008 recession created today's missing middle in architecture and engineering
* Why compensation isn't the top reason architects and engineers leave - culture and career path are
* The "hit the ground running" myth and why small to midsize firms feel it most
* Where onboarding and mentorship break down - and how to stack wins before stacking work
* How reactive staffing keeps firms filling the same hole every year
* How AI is changing resumes, sourcing, and screening - and why human connection still wins

This isn't just an AEC hiring conversation. Any leader managing skilled teams under schedule and budget pressure faces the same shift: from buying talent to building it. If you lead projects, people, or a practice in construction, this episode reframes retention as a construction leadership and construction change management challenge - how you create the conditions where people can grow, contribute, and see a future.

If you lead a team, a studio, or a firm and you're tired of restarting the hiring cycle every 12 to 18 months, this conversation is for you. You'll leave with a clearer lens on why people join, why they stay, and why they leave - and what to change before the next posting goes live.

Activating Curiosity is a construction podcast for leaders navigating change in the built environment. Subscribe for weekly conversations with AEC leaders on construction leadership, team development, and change leadership - and follow along wherever you listen to podcasts.

Links:
ActivatingCuriosity.com
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryan-ware
Learn more: ConnectiveConsultingGrp.com

Timestamps:
00:00 – Why AEC Firms Struggle to Stand Out
01:07 – The Human Side of Staffing and Recruiting
05:44 – How AEC Recruiting Has Changed
09:41 – When Employers Stopped Holding All the Cards
11:55 – Great Candidates May Be Gone in 10 Days
12:32 – How 2008 Helped Create the Missing Middle
13:30 – Stop Staffing Projects and Start Thinking Strategically
16:25 – Why People Leave: It's Not Just About Compensation
17:30 – Your Firm Sounds Like Everyone Else
22:17 – From Filling Positions to Building Careers
24:18 – The Problem With “Hit the Ground Running”
28:51 – How AI Is Changing Recruiting
37:17 – Why Human Connection Still Matters
44:08 – Building an Industry People Want to Join