Contractors looking for labor relief may soon have another option on the table. A new bipartisan bill in Congress could offer temporary visas to help fill open jobs in construction. It’s a move that major industry groups say is overdue.
Introduced on September 23 by Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act (EWEA) would create a lawful, temporary visa program specifically for industries facing worker shortages.
If passed, the program would allow 65,000 visas in its first year, with that number adjusting between 45,000 and 85,000 annually based on market needs. Each visa would be valid for three years, with two optional renewals, creating a longer-term pathway for qualified workers to legally take jobs in the trades.
What It Means for Contractors
Labor shortages continue to be the top issue for construction firms. A recent AGC/NCCER survey showed:
- 92% of contractors are struggling to hire
- 45% report delays on jobs due to labor gaps
Labor shortages create serious challenges for scheduling and profitability. AGC CEO Jeffrey D. Shoaf says the EWEA bill provides a short-term solution to keep the projects moving.
“Establishing a visa program for construction occupations provides the kind of lawful, temporary, traceable and taxable pathway needed to serve as a short-term solution while we rebuild the domestic pipeline for preparing new construction workers,” said Shoaf.
The Associated General Contractors of America has thrown its full support behind the bill, along with other major trade groups like the National Roofing Contractors Association, ABC, Leading Builders of America, and the Construction Leadership Council.
How It Works
The visa program is designed with guardrails in place to prioritize local hiring first. Here's how it’s structured:
- Only areas with unemployment rates below 7.9% would qualify. That currently covers nearly the entire country.
- Employers must prove the job has gone unfilled for three months, or 60 days out of a 90-day period.
- All employers must use E-Verify, and applicants must pass criminal and national security background checks.
- Visas would be tied to specific job offers from registered employers.
- Workers would not be allowed to bring family members and cannot come from countries flagged for terrorism.
The system is designed to prevent abuse while still providing a real option for contractors who need help on the jobsite today.
Training Is Still a Long-Term Need
While the EWEA bill tackles short-term labor needs, it doesn’t replace the need to grow the domestic skilled labor pipeline. Shoaf and AGC are also backing the USA Workforce Investment Act, another bill introduced by Smucker.
That bill would offer up to $1,700 in tax credits to individuals who donate to nonprofit workforce training programs, helping get more funds to schools and programs focused on the trades.
Shoaf pointed out the discrepancy in federal education funding. “Today, 80% of federal workforce dollars support four-year college degree programs, despite the fact only 38% of Americans earn such a degree. Washington officials can, and must, fix that funding imbalance,” he said.
Rebalancing that spending is key to fixing the long-term workforce shortage.
What’s Next
This is the second time the EWEA bill has been introduced. With bipartisan support already in place, industry groups are hopeful it will move forward.
If passed, the bill could give commercial contractors access to a new pool of qualified, vetted workers, offering real relief for projects delayed by short staffing. In a market where deadlines are tight and backlogs are long, that kind of help could make a difference.
