Tag: labor shortage: Page 4

Business

Southeast Wisconsin construction projects delayed by skilled labor shortage

Add southeast Wisconsin to the list of places in the U.S. feeling the impact of a skilled labor shortage in construction. The Janesville Gazette reports that contractors in that area are “busier than they’ve been in a long time,” thanks to numerous housing starts popping up. The Gazette interviewed contractor Kevin Ferguson, owner of Ferguson […]

July 15, 2013

Workforce

Minnesota construction training program for women has 90% job placement rate

Facing big projects like the St. Croix Crossing bridge, the Central Corridor Light Rail and a new football stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, more and more women are filling Minnesota’s need for construction workers thanks to a training program in Minneapolis. Women Wear Hard Hats Too is a 20-week program that seeks to fully prepare women for […]

June 26, 2013

Workforce

Skilled labor shortage slows Michigan’s response to growing demand for new homes

After 60,000 of Michigan’s skilled home builders were put out of work during the recession, many left the state to find work elsewhere while some left the trade entirely, reports the Detroit Free Press. Michigan is the latest of several states around the country to report skilled labor shortages as demand for construction rebounds. The […]

June 11, 2013

Workforce

Construction industry adds 7k jobs in May, unemployment drops to lowest rate in nearly 5 years

The construction industry added 7,000 jobs in May to reach its highest total of workers in nearly four years, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Preliminary data from the BLS showed that the industry lost 6,000 jobs in April. But a revision reduced that loss to 2,000, meaning if May’s gains […]

June 7, 2013

Technology

BIM and iPad use quickly gaining traction in construction industry thanks to productivity boosts

Using an iPad or another of the myriad tablets on the market today to view plans and blueprints on the jobsite is not a new concept to the construction industry. But it is one gaining considerable traction in recent years as firms look to avoid costly mistakes in efforts to boost efficiency. So when a […]

June 5, 2013

Workforce

Facing $9 billion in demand, Iowa contractors feel impact of skilled labor shortage

Add Iowa to a growing list of states struggling to meet rebounding construction demand due to a shortage of skilled laborers. According to a report from the Des Moines Register, contractors in Iowa have reported shortages of equipment operators, steel workers, carpenters, supervisors and concrete workers. These companies expect those shortages to deepen in the coming […]

June 3, 2013

Business

Nonresidential construction index indicates gradual improvement, notes concerns with sequester, labor shortage

The FMI Nonresidential Construction Index has reached the highest mark since its inception in the first quarter of 2009. Released this week, the second quarter 2013 edition of the NRCI reached 60.1. FMI, a management consultant and investment banking provider, surveys a group of panelists each quarter to measure the health of the nonresidential construction […]

May 30, 2013

Workforce

Women breaking through construction industry’s “concrete ceiling”

While women still hold the same percentage of the 8.4 million construction jobs in the United States as they did in 1983—a low 2.6 percent—a new report from CNN Money/Fortune shows that the number might be a bit misleading. The latest data shows that while women aren’t occupying carpentry, plumbing or the other intensive labor occupations […]

May 23, 2013

Workforce

Energy boom contributes to Houston’s shortage of skilled construction workers

Like just about every other metro area of the country, the Houston-area construction industry is feeling the negative effects of strong demand with the inability to find enough skilled workers to meet it. Unique to Houston’s shortage however is the contribution, or complication, the energy boom in Texas has made, according to Houston’s ABC affiliate […]

May 20, 2013

Workforce

Skilled construction worker shortage already stifling economic recovery

It looks like Executive Editor Tom Jackson’s fear of construction’s current labor shortage stifling the economic recovery is already coming true. According to a recent report from the Associated Press, construction companies across the country say they feel the economy could be doing even better if they could find enough workers. They say they have […]

May 17, 2013

Workforce

Lower pay, higher costs, immigration enforcement involved in California construction companies’ struggle to find workers

Same story, different place. Just like their counterparts in Minnesota and other metro areas across the country, construction companies in California, particularly home builders, can’t seem to find enough workers to fill growing demand for work, reports the Los Angeles Times. The main reason for the struggle is the same too. In the wake of […]

May 9, 2013

Workforce

Lack of skilled construction workers and technicians could choke off economic recovery

Goldman Sachs today released a report naming the 40 stocks it thinks will boom in the coming months. Not surprising, the list was dominated by gas, oil and energy companies: 18 out of the 40 to be exact. Two mining companies were in the mix as well, as were Cummins and Goodyear. The technical advancements […]

May 7, 2013