LA needs 100,000 construction workers. Community colleges are racing to train them
Adam Echelman
April 10, 2026
Hudson Idov wasn’t excited about any of his college options — that is, until his Los Angeles house burned down in the Palisades Fire his senior year of high school.
Less than a week after graduation, he and one of his classmates enrolled in the carpentry program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, a community college just south of downtown. Their goal is to start a construction company one day and help rebuild the Palisades. “We have big, big 10-year plans,” he said during a break in his morning class.
His personal tragedy drove the decision, but he also considers it wise to pursue a high-demand job, especially now. Before the Palisades and Eaton fires last year, Los Angeles was already short roughly 70,000 qualified construction workers. The destruction of thousands of homes and businesses during the fires made that problem even worse. The city now needs over 100,000 new workers in construction and construction-related careers, according to one state analysis, which estimates median pay at just under $30 an hour, though it varies depending on the position and the level of experience.
