Crisis - HBI

Home Builders Institute

Crisis Point:

The Construction Industry
Needs An Additional

2,000 + workers a day

83 workers per hour

1 worker every minute

A TOTAL OF 2.2 MILLION NEW WORKERS

Yes, you read that right. To meet housing demand, the construction industry needs to place 740,000* workers into construction jobs each year for the next three years. These are staggering numbers, so how did we get here?

Industry growth, younger workers leaving the trades, career workers retiring, COVID… have all accelerated a labor shortage we’ve seen for years. Today, the impact is more severe than ever. Without these workers:

– The U.S. will experience a shortage of 1+ million houses
– What does get built will cost more
– Access to credit will become more restricted

*Fall 2021 edition

HBI Construction Labor Market Report, data provided by National Association of Home Builders.

It's a nationwide problem that's getting national attention.

IT'S AN ALL-HANDS-ON DECK MOMENT

Today, the Home Builders Institute (HBI) is calling on builders, contractors, suppliers, advocates, and policymakers to collaborate on how to meet housing demand and attract, train, and retain home building’s next generation of skilled workers. Here’s how:

- Work with secondary school students, and their influencers, to change perceptions of careers in construction
- Increase worker pay while balancing the need to keep homeownership affordable
- Attract more women into construction careers
- Train and place more minority and lower-income youth and adults
- Increase trade skills education for veterans and transitioning military
- Work for bipartisan approaches to sensible immigration policies

GOT IDEAS?

If you are working to shorten the labor gap,
we want to hear from you.

Orange

blue

Green

Blue

Home Builders Institute (HBI) is an exempt organization as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Contact Us

contacthbi@hbi.org

(202) 371-0600

About

Leadership

Careers

Donate

Terms Of Use

Privacy Policy

Press Inquiries

Newsletter

Receive The Latest HBI News.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from Home Builders Institute. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.

© 2023 Home Builders Institute. All Rights Reserved.

© 2025 Home Builders Institute. All Rights Reserved.

HBI does not discriminate against any person on the basis of protected characteristics or any other basis prohibited by federal or other applicable law. This policy covers all programs, services, policies, activities, and procedures of HBI, including participation in education programs and employment.

Contacts Us

Name

First Last

Title/Position

Organization

Address

City State / Province / Region Country

Phone

Email

Type Of Inquiry(Required)

Message

CAPTCHA

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

JOSEPH F. LANDERS

Executive Officer of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Massachusetts

Joseph F. Landers, 71, is the Executive Officer of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Massachusetts having assumed that role in 2018 with a mandate from the Board of Directors to harmonize the five MA local associations, increase communications from the state to the membership, increase the public profile of the association, create a path to financial stability and elevate the states lobbying efforts. Prior to taking on the challenging state association role, Joe was Chief Executive Officer and founder of Customized Structures Inc., a custom manufacturer of single-family, multi-family and commercial modular and panelized structures which began operations in 1984. Joe has been involved in the building industry, both site-built and factory-built, since 1973 and has worked in all phases of construction from development through design and production including on site management and sales. Customized Structures produced on average 330 single family homes per year, had an employee base as high as 180 and was known as the innovator in the production and design of modular components.

After the sale of Customized Structures Inc. to a private equity firm in 2003 Joe remained on the Board of Directors of the Company and functioned as a consultant to the CEO. He further took on the role of helping failing building systems companies return to profitability and successfully oversaw the sale of those companies. Mr. Landers has lectured frequently on the benefits and utilization of systems-built construction to building professionals around the country and has utilized his substantial professional and industry background to provide consultation services to both national and foreign companies interested in the processes and pitfalls of building and developing utilizing building systems components.

Joe attended Northeastern University and St. Anselm’s College graduating with a B.S. in 1972.

Joe has been a member of the National Association of Home Builders since 1974. He is past president of two local Home Builders Associations and has served two terms as President of the State of NH Home Builders Association. Joe is also a past president of the Modular Building Systems Council of the NAHB, has been Chairman of the National Building Systems Council (BSC) and has served five terms as a Trustee of the BSC during which time he created the BSC logo and wrote the brochure “Most Frequently Asked Questions about Modular Homes”.

In 1989, Joe received the National Pacesetter Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership and contribution to the housing industry and in 1991 was awarded the title of Builder of the Year by the Home Builders Association of N.H. In 1992 he was appointed by the Governor to the NH Board of Fire Control within the Department of Safety and since then was reappointed three times. He has served as a member on the State of New Hampshire Building Code Review Board and was appointed by the Governor of NH to the Shore Land Protection Commission. Joe was selected to receive the 2000 S. A. Walters Chairman’s Award, the premier award in the U.S. Systems Built Housing Industry and was installed to the New Hampshire Housing Hall of Fame for his significant and lasting contributions to the housing industry in the State of New Hampshire.

Joe is a Senior Life Director of the National Association of Home Builders; he is served six terms on the NAHB Budget & Finance Committee serving as Vice Chair for four of those years, he has served as Chairman of the Resolutions Committee, the International Housing Committee and the Building Products Issues Committee of NAHB serving on the NAHB Executive Committee multiple times.

In 2001 Joe was elected an Area Vice President of the National Association of Home Builders representing builders through out the northeast.

Joe is active in his community having served as finance chairmen of his church, is a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows, and has served on multiple boards and committees on a volunteer basis.

Joe and his wife, Denise, reside in Plymouth, MA, they have two children, Jessica and Brad and two grandchildren, Lily and Jack ages 13 and 11.