New IEC analysis of fiscal year 2025 apprenticeship data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that construction industry government-registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) continue to expand nationwide, with steady gains in participants and completers. But the most important story behind the numbers is where that growth is occurring—and what it means for the future of the construction workforce and related public policy.
IEC’s analysis indicates that the construction industry produced approximately 313,000 to 336,000 active apprentices in FY2025, and created an estimated 38,000 to 43,000 completers of four-to-five-year RAPs.
“While these figures reflect meaningful YoY growth and progress, they also underscore the scale of the workforce challenge, as demand for skilled craft professionals continues to outpace supply,” IEC lobbyist Ben Brubeck, principal and CEO of Government Affairs Solutions, said. “With the construction industry facing a skilled labor shortage of nearly 350,000 this year and 450,000 projected for 2027, it is clear the RAP system in its current form cannot meet the demands of industry.”
According to DOL data, growth in merit shop construction apprenticeship programs, participants, and completers—key metrics evaluating the workforce pipeline served by the RAP system— is accelerating at a significantly faster rate than union programs. Since 2020, the number of nonunion apprenticeship programs grew by 40.3% compared to a decline of 11.3%.
In addition, since 2020 the number of nonunion apprentices participating in construction RAPs has grown by more than 60%, compared to roughly 20% growth on the union side. Likewise, nonunion programs experienced a 48% growth in the number of completers since 2020, while union program completers increased by 21.7%.
Importantly, this growth is not just incremental—it reflects a higher rate of expansion on a per-program and per-participant basis. Merit shop programs are scaling faster, adding apprentices more quickly and producing completers at a higher rate. By contrast, union apprenticeship programs, while still a significant part of the construction industry’s RAP system, have shown comparatively slower growth and, in some cases, stagnant or declining program totals.
“Nearly 68% of all construction industry apprentices are enrolled in union RAPs, commonly known as Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees or JATCs,” Brubeck said. “Remarkably, just 11% of the construction workforce was unionized in 2025, demonstrating that the nonunion sector has a much greater capacity for apprenticeship growth.”
The construction industry also represents a significant share of the nation’s roughly 700,000 registered apprentices across all sectors in FY 2025. As policymakers look to expand that number—including efforts by the Trump administration to reach 1 million new apprentices—the path to achieving that goal runs directly through construction. And within construction, it is the merit shop segment that has demonstrated the greatest capacity for growth. If apprenticeship expansion policy efforts focus too narrowly on existing union-based systems that are already mature and capacity-constrained, they risk falling short.
“Multiple economic and demographic factors contribute to the failure of the RAP system to meet industry demand, but poor public policy has made RAP participation burdensome for employers and unattractive to many participants in the skilled trades,” Brubeck said. “Recent efforts by the Department of Labor attempting to make apprenticeship program creation and participation more flexible and attractive for providers and learners are welcome, but much more can be done.”
America’s commitment to workforce development through the registered apprenticeship system is recognized each year during National Apprenticeship Week (April 26 to May 2 this year), which celebrates the role of apprenticeship in preparing workers for high-demand careers. The FY2025 data reinforces that these programs—particularly those led by merit shop employers—are delivering results and creating pathways into the trades.
Recent federal policy developments could further accelerate this momentum. The IEC-supported Working Families Tax Cut Act (WFTCA)—signed into law in July 2025—expands the use of 529 education savings accounts to cover workforce development programs and materials, making it easier for individuals to pursue careers in construction. In addition, the WFTCA’s expansion of Workforce Pell Grants may allow learners enrolled in construction industry RAPs to qualify for Workforce Pell funding opportunities, helping to grow the talent pipeline. (Learn more about IEC’s comments on the Education Department’s Workforce Pell proposal).
IEC’s analysis of FY2025 apprenticeship data makes one thing clear: while apprenticeship programs are growing—and merit shop programs are driving that growth at an impressive rate—the system is still not producing enough skilled workers to meet demand. Closing the construction workforce gap will require policies that support the full range of workforce development pathways and recognize the central role that merit shop programs play in developing the next generation of craft professionals.
“With nearly 22,000 apprentices enrolled in IEC’s electrical apprenticeship programs across America, IEC is making progress in meeting the industry’s need for 80,000 net new electricians a year,” Brubeck said. “The number of IEC apprentices could be much greater if not for anti-competitive and inflationary government policies like project labor agreement mandates that discriminate against merit shop apprentices, and nefarious state apprenticeship councils and agencies who deny the approval of merit shop apprenticeship programs in order to protect union interests.”
* IEC’s estimate is populated by data from the U.S. DOL’s Apprentices By State Dashboard and adjusted to account for data that is missing from the RAPIDS system from several states. IEC’s analysis on the growth of merit shop programs, apprentices, and completers since 2020 is purely from DOL RAPIDS data.