This year's Construction Inclusion Week was from October 16 to 20, 2023. This event builds awareness of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the construction industry.
Construction Marks Construction Inclusion Week
A report on the construction industry by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows women represent 10% of employees in the sector. A further report from the NAWIC shows women earn approximately 95.5% of their male counterparts in the same positions.
The BLS report shows non-Hispanic whites comprise 61% of workers, non-Hispanic blacks 5.1%, and Hispanics 30% of the workforce in the construction sector.
Construction workers aged 55 years or older are 22.3%, and workers aged 25 and younger represent 10% of the industry workforce. There's a massive opportunity for young people to start a prosperous, well-paid career in construction as the industry experiences the retirement of older workers in the coming years.
CIW – A Platform for Industry Diversity & Inclusivity
CIW is open to all construction companies, and the event offers business opportunities and educational resources. More than 750,000 workers, managers, and subcontractors will attend Construction Inclusion Week in 2023, representing 6,500 construction sites across America.
All companies participating in CIW 2023 have access to DEI Maturity Assessments, allowing them to determine the best way to leverage the resources available during the event. Content presented to attendees during the event focuses on four themes: curriculum resources, toolbox and table talks, and discussions.
Construction Inclusion Week Event Schedule:
- Commitment and Accountability (Monday, October 16)
- Belonging (Tuesday, October 17)
- Supplier Diversity (Wednesday, October 18)
- Workplace Culture (Thursday, October 19)
- Community Engagement (Friday, October 20)
CIW 2023 – Change Is Coming
The origin of Construction Inclusion Week comes from a 2020 initiative sparked by Turner Construction Company, DPR Construction, Gilbane Building Company, McCarthy, Clark Construction Group, and Mortenson.
These companies formed the "Time for Change" consortium to identify strategies to promote and further the advancement of equity, diversity, inclusion, and equity in the construction industry. The result was CIW.
The inaugural CIW event started on October 18, 2021, and was a huge success. Construction Inclusion Week offers attendees five days of resources and content promoting industry inclusion and diversity initiatives. During the event, we can expect hard conversations surrounding the implementation of these inclusion initiatives in all sectors across the construction industry.
Event themes include "Building a Foundation for Inclusion," providing content like "toolbox talks" encompassing construction project sites, activities for home, "table talks" for offices, and a huge selection of supplemental educational and informative resources.
Daily CIW themes include unconscious bias, leadership accountability and commitment, jobsite worker culture, supplier diversity, and engagement with the community. Over 1,000 construction firms nationwide have signed up to attend CIW, giving them access to resources and educational materials that foster communication and conversations and bring awareness of inclusion, equity, and diversity initiatives to the industry.
Attendees include construction firms of all sizes, including large national operators and small businesses. Suppliers, contractors, affiliated owner entities, and industry organizations signed up to attend the five-day event in 2023.
More than 70% of companies registered for CIW are non-SBE/MWBE/LGBTQ+ certified construction firms looking to enhance and improve their inclusion efforts. CIW invites all industry members to unite behind the goal of advancing equity, inclusion, and diversity in the industry.
The resources available at CIW enable companies of all sizes to create targeted activities aimed at organizational and trade partners.
Taking Action for a Change at CIW 2023
By learning from one another and working together, industry participants can build consistency in their commitments to maintaining safe and inclusive workplace environments free of hate, bigotry, and harassment.
CIW encourages a shift towards positive change in the construction industry, laying the foundation of inclusivity for future generations of construction workers, managers, and companies.
CIW offers employers, employees, contractors, and suppliers access to resources that bring awareness to initiatives encompassing equity, diversity, and inclusion and conceptual ideas for teams, companies, and job sites across America.
From job site technologies to safety, the construction industry has made progress in leaps and bounds when industry players embrace collaboration. CIW offers the ideal opportunity for industry players to come together and pave the path forward for the industry and its implementation of inclusion directives.
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