The Austin-Round Rock metro area is above the national average for the number of women working in local construction, but still lags behind 27 other cities, according to data from the company Construction Coverage.
According to data from Workforce Solutions Capital Area, women made up 10% of Austin area construction workers in 2022. For Workforce Solutions Capital Area program manager Michelle Buford, the increase is positive as barriers to entry begin to erode.
“It used to be a male-dominated field. But women can do just as well in this industry as men,” Buford said. “I honestly believe it has a lot to do with the change in attitudes of the folks that would normally employ folks into this. [The unions] are recruiting women, they’re talking to women…we have folks in our community who know that we need to increase the number of women that enter these fields.”