Birmingham, Al  (WIAT)  Jobs are hard to come by these days, but industry experts say one area is looking at a shortage: skilled labor in the construction trades.

In countries like the United States, fewer than 10 percent of teenagers are looking at a career in skilled trade. “We need the younger generation. There’s going to be a changing of the guard and we need younger folks to get interested,” says Lamar Clements. Clements has worked the past couple of years as an operator of machinery at the Miller Steam Plant.

Massive construction jobs such as the environmental upgrades at power plants require hundreds of skilled craftsmen. Workers say the pay and benefits are very good. They encourage people who are not interested in a college degree to learn more.

About one third of the skilled tradesmen in the construction industry in Alabama are over the age of fifty. There will be a great need to replace those workers as the economy improves.