Tag: workforce: Page 21

Business

Pittsburgh contractors say their problem is finding work, not workers… for now

Contractors in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania say it’s not a skilled worker shortage that’s causing them problems. It’s a shortage of construction jobs that’s to blame for a lack of production. In the last year, construction firms across the country have seen work pile up while they struggle to find workers skilled enough to meet demand. But […]

May 14, 2014

Business

Work zone crash on I-69 in Indiana kills 2 construction workers

Two highway construction workers died Friday morning in a work zone crash on Interstate 69 in Fishers, Indiana, WANE TV reports. According to the report, the workers were cleaning up their work zone in a southbound lane when the driver of a pickup truck struck the two men. The workers were employed by Rieth-Riley Construction—not the Indiana […]

May 12, 2014

Business

Burning buildings, collapsing freeways: Is our lousy education system to blame for the recent uptick in construction accidents?

Lately there’s been a rash of fires, collapses and accidents at projects “under construction,” all over the country. Here are just three of the more spectacular examples. March, Boston:. A 33-story apartment building under construction pancakes in Boston when a load up top causes the support under it to buckle. April, Des Moines, Iowa: A three […]

May 9, 2014

Workforce

North Dakota diesel tech program grows 25%, adds Komatsu program

A long-standing diesel tech program in the southeast corner of North Dakota gained an additional industry partner this week. Komatsu America has joined John Deere, Caterpillar and Case in establishing a brand-specific two-year degree at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, aimed at channeling techs into dealer shops. In the past two […]

May 9, 2014

Business

Colorado contractors say “huge shortage of tradesmen” is severely impacting business

Contractors in Colorado say that while there is plenty of work to go around, they are falling behind on jobs they have while unable to take on new jobs due to a serious shortage of skilled workers in the state. Doug Dohn of Dohn Construction in Fort Collins told the Coloradoan that none of his current […]

May 7, 2014

Business

Construction adds 32,000 jobs in April, unemployment rate drops again

Showing signs of momentum after a slowdown from the harsh winter weather seen at the start of the year, the U.S. construction industry saw its largest gain in jobs since the start of the year. The industry added 32,000 jobs in April marking the fourth straight month of gains. The total number of jobs in […]

May 2, 2014

Business

Despite being among the only jobs that can’t be outsourced, U.S. is largely blind to construction industry’s worth

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article about the need for more apprenticeships. Sure enough, it contained a misconception common to just about everything you read in the media about construction in this country today. Author Lauren Weber opened with the statement nobody questions, that more apprenticeships are needed to fill the skills gap. […]

May 1, 2014

Business

5 tips for hiring military veterans at your construction company

The economy is growing and construction contractors are scrambling for new employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction employment is expected to grow by 1.84 million jobs or 33 percent by 2020. At the same time there are thousands of technically proficient people exiting the military every year and their numbers are expected […]

May 1, 2014

Business

Caterpillar to shut down South Carolina engine plant, relocate production, cut 510 jobs

Caterpillar has announced that it is relocating production of engines from a plant in Fountain Inn, South Carolina to plants in Georgia and Texas. In all, the move will eliminate 380 full-time and 130 temporary jobs. Caterpillar is offering severance packages to the full-time employees and says that some of those employees may be considered […]

April 30, 2014

Business

A year and a half after Sandy’s devastation, New Jersey leads nation in construction job losses

After Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on the East Coast in October 2012, pummeling the New Jersey shore in particular, businesses in 113 of 565 New Jersey municipalities experienced a combined total of $382 million in commercial property loss, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As a hurricane and post-tropical cyclone, Sandy was responsible for 117 […]

April 28, 2014

Business

Another worker shortage compounded by the energy boom could delay construction of $1.3 billion Dallas hospital

Construction officials with a Dallas area hospital say their project is losing workers and bidders to stiff competition from the oil and gas industry as well as higher paying construction jobs elsewhere in the state. “Houston and West Texas are taking labor away from many of our projects,” Lou Saksen, senior vice president over the $1.3 […]

April 24, 2014

Business

Obama, Biden announce $600 million initiative to close skills gap through job training and apprenticeships

Today, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced a $600 million initiative that seeks to equip more workers with the skills needed to fill thousands of open but specialized jobs. The initiative will be funded by existing Labor Department funds. The first part of the initiative is $500 million in competitive grants intended […]

April 16, 2014