This article is based on the results of Equipment World’s inaugural Heavy Equipment Operator Salary and Benefits Report. You can download the full report here.
Heavy equipment operators and managers of operators overwhelmingly agree on one thing: the younger generation doesn’t want to work. That is among the findings from Equipment World’s 2023 Heavy Equipment Operator Salary & Benefits Report.
The survey, conducted by Equipment World, was taken by 343 construction industry professionals from April 3-21, 2023. Of those, 208 were heavy equipment operators, and 135 managers of heavy equipment operators. Responses that did not fit the job title criteria were not included in the results, and the observations drawn from the results were limited to responses from qualified individuals only.
Participants across the U.S. answered more than 20 questions about pay, benefits, training, and workforce development.
An overwhelming 77% of operators and 84% of managers of operators say the lack of work ethic by the younger generation is the biggest reason companies are having a hard time finding talent. And it’s leaving the current workforce spread thin. But not all of the comments placed the blame squarely on younger generations. Some pointed to a lack of awareness of construction as a viable career option and a lack of training for young workers.
“It’s not that the younger generation doesn’t want to work; it’s that too many kids are not being shown the opportunities that exist working in the blue-collar world,” said Edward Drake of Randsco Pipeline.
Glen Pyburn of Arthur Pyburn & Sons Inc. added, “It’s very difficult to develop a good operator who has no mechanical ability and no time as a laborer.”
