Construction firms are racing to find top-tier talent to launch projects nationwide. But a shortage of skilled laborers is leading to a mounting number of unfilled jobs.
A strong national economy means more cranes in the sky, AmeriConstruct founder and CEO Neil Lockhart said. However, the workforce shortage is staggering and he said it is halting construction timelines.
A number of factors (including construction costs, salary challenges and a focus on seeking diverse candidates) are intensifying the challenge.
According to the Associated General Contractors of America, 70% of construction firms report having a hard time hiring. There is a growing list of 250,000 unfilled jobs nationally, Lockhart said. The construction industry is near full employment at 4.1%.
Texas added the most construction jobs nationally on a year-over-year basis at 22,700 jobs or 3.1%, according to the AGC. Florida recorded 22,400 new jobs, or 4.2%, followed by Arizona (16,500 jobs, 10.7%), West Virginia (16,000 jobs, 46.4%) and Georgia (14,600 jobs, 7.6%).
"The record number of job openings in construction reported in the government's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for January shows that finding qualified construction workers is still a challenge," AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson said in a release.
Phoenix offers paid apprenticeships in construction
“Working with our partners in construction, Arizona@Work is recruiting apprentices for a 9-week program," said Mary Alejandro, program manager for Arizona@Work/Phoenix. “We try to fill a class with 20 to 30 qualified young men and women. They're paid $15 per hour during the training, and nearly all end up with higher wage full time jobs when the training is completed.
Contractors can participate in the workforce training programs. More information is available at Arizona@Work/Phoenix..
Source:
https://www.phoenix.gov/econdev/inthenews/279
