CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Roads and bridges in North Carolina will see the largest share of money from President Biden's trillion-dollar infrastructure law enacted last month.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh said in an interview with WCNC Charlotte's Shamarria Morrison the jobs produced will be in the tens of thousands across the country.
"You’re talking about investing in construction jobs, roads, and bridges," Walsh said. "You’re thinking also about clean drinking water, lead pipes, you’re thinking about broadband access."
Walsh expects a boost in job creation for construction workers, engineers, and architects needed to build and repair roads and bridges.
There is a work shortage impacting some of these professions. According to the Associated Builders and Contractors Trade Association, one million workers will need to be hired over the next two years in order to keep up.
Jobs created from the infrastructure law will add to the one million workers already needed to complete road and bridge projects.
The Department of Labor reports the overall employment of construction laborers and helpers is projected to grow 7% from 2020 to 2030. With an average pay of $17.83 an hour, that's an annual salary of $37,080 per year.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., the cost of living for a two-parent, two-child family in Mecklenburg County, NC is $92,400 per year.
"There’s also an engineering aspect to it. Architecture aspect to it - and then there’s a technical aspect to it," Walsh said.
The median annual average wage for architects was $82,320 in May 2020. The employment of architects is projected to grow 3% from 2020 to 2030. That’s slower than the average for all occupations.
The new infrastructure law may speed that up. The employment of civil engineers is projected to grow 8.4% from 2014 to 2024.
Despite some pandemic-related setbacks, apprenticeships have grown by 70% in the last ten years according to the Department of Labor.
Even with unemployment claims at a 50-year low, there’s still a worker shortage across industries.
"There’s a lot of concern," Walsh said. "I think some people are worried about their health so they’re just not going back to the workforce. Some people have childcare concerns and they’re paying too much in childcare and not going back in the workforce."
Walsh said some jobs produced will be immediate and others long-term.
"Initially tens of thousands of jobs in the investment from the infrastructure act. Then what will come from this is other jobs that we spark in communities and neighborhoods and cities and towns all across the country," Walsh said.
The N.C. Department of Transportation already has more than 9,000 employees. They have at least 123 open positions right now on their website with salaries ranging from $31,000 to $147,000.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.