Nelson Squires on labor shortage
From Electrical Manager Shortages Solved with the NECA Apprenticeship Model with Nelson and Anna · · The ConTech Crew
“Labor is going to be the issue that prevents activity from happening. It is the number one constraint. And when you put the electrical industry involved, it's skilled labor.”
On , Nelson Squires, Executive Vice President and GM of Electrical & Electronic Solutions at WESCO INTL INC, spoke about labor shortage during Electrical Manager Shortages Solved with the NECA Apprenticeship Model with Nelson and Anna on The ConTech Crew.
About Nelson Squires
Nelson Squires, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Electrical & Electronic Solutions at Wesco International, appeared on the podcast *The ConTech Crew* on May 17, 2025. During the episode, Squires discussed workforce challenges in the electrical construction industry, stating that the workforce is expected to decline 14% by 2030 while demand is projected to rise 25%. He described labor as "the number one constraint" and said that skilled labor shortages would prevent activity from happening. Squires noted that Wesco has operations in over 50 countries and about 7,000 employees, and he described the industry as being "at the crossroads in the epicenter of all the work that's going on to not just electrify but to decarbonize." Squires announced that Wesco has made a multi-year commitment to fund scholarships in partnership with Electri and NA, aiming to help people enter the electrical field as a vocation. He said the apprenticeship program creates a pipeline to transfer knowledge from experienced workers to new entrants, and that people can earn a "handsome salary" early in their careers due to demand. Squires added that the industry's demand is driven by secular trends that will persist regardless of political changes, and that while AI can improve efficiency, "we need the people."