With billions of dollars now dispersing across the U.S. in efforts to develop internet infrastructure for all, invariably, the next step will be the actual build and deployment of that infrastructure. But among many regulatory and bureaucratic challenges is a larger looming issue — there aren’t currently enough staffed workers to make it happen.
Previous years have already seen a growing number of job openings in broadband construction — and it's very likely to persist in 2025. That puts a lot of options in the hands of a construction job seeker this year.
"Alone right now, you're seeing that we need 28,000 construction people on the streets,” Kimberly McKinley, Chief of Staff at TAK Communications, told us in an interview — referring to the imminent deployment of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. “I mean, this is insane," she reflected.
While it likely comes as no surprise to someone looking into this sector, for all its current opportunities, construction is not an easy job — and it's not a good pick for someone looking to coast on autopilot.
“Construction is a hard industry. Being on the streets in these conditions, let’s be honest, you could go from fall to winter in a hot second,” she explained. “You're on the street. It's a high stress job. There are a lot of gas lines, there's a lot of people, there's a lot of expectations and higher standards.”
But depending on the company, the jobs come with solid pay and benefits for the expected commitment. Not to mention that moving up the construction ladder means major income increases.
As an example, the average starting wage for a construction laborer at Tak is $20.79 an hour as reported on Indeed. But construction supervisor roles are averaging at $69,822 per year, and construction safety managers are bringing in an average $111,812 per year — just to list a few of the many options an entry-level worker can advance into.
And when it comes to broadband, Primoris Construction’s Scott Connelly told us, “It’s technically less challenging than a lot of other areas of construction.” And skills from other areas can easily translate. “If you can dig a ditch and put pipe in the ground, you can definitely work in broadband,” he said.
While someone may join as a ditch digger for the pay and benefits, McKinley believes it takes more meaning than that to want to stick around. At TAK, and in the larger context of the industry this year, that’s contributing to “changing the infrastructure of this country,” building the highways of the internet and helping bring in unconnected communities to online resources.
“A lot of my friends in the industry, who I consider family, have been there for 20 plus years,” she said. “And that means [it's] an industry that might not be very well recognized, but there's a power behind this industry that most people are not aware of.”
Interested in working in broadband construction? Check out our jobs portal and Learning Center.