Tag: skilled labor shortage: Page 2

Workforce

Northwestern Mutual sets out to hire 1,000 construction workers in Milwaukee

Northwestern Mutual is in the middle of a substantial construction project in downtown Milwaukee and the company is in need of a lot of hands to get it done. On Monday, the company hosted a job fair in Milwaukee in search of 1,000 construction workers to build its $450 million tower, according to a report […]

October 21, 2014

Business

Is construction “dead in the water”? Greenspan comment highlights industry’s mixed feelings about recovery

Despite many positives in the industry right now, Alan Greenspan is pointing a finger of blame in construction’s direction. According to a report from Bloomberg, Greenspan, who served as chairman of the Federal Reserve between 1987 and 2006, said Tuesday the U.S. economic rebound from the recession that ended five years ago has been held […]

September 10, 2014

Business

Majority of skilled construction workers who lost jobs in wake of the recession have been rehired, but many are being paid less

As the U.S. construction industry faces a shortage of skilled labor, a new government study finds that the majority of skilled workers who lost their jobs in the wake of the Great Recession have already been reemployed by the industry. According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics study, 62 percent of the 393,000 long-tenured […]

September 3, 2014

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Construction firms are turning down work due to the labor shortage, but most are willing to pay more to find workers

A majority of construction companies across the U.S. are facing a shortage in skilled labor and a large number of them have been forced to turn down work in the last year because they didn’t have the workers needed for the job, according to a recent survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America […]

August 28, 2014

Business

STEM graduates are finding a weak job market. Why that could be a big opportunity to fix construction’s skilled labor woes

A recent article at Business Insider revealed an odd wrinkle in the job market. According to Census Bureau statistics, less than half the college graduates with STEM degrees (science, technology, engineering and math) find jobs in STEM related fields. This wouldn’t be surprising except for the fact that so many people bleat on like a […]

July 11, 2014

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

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

Wisconsin contractors are having a hard time making quality hires as demand grows

Like their peers across the country, Wisconsin contractors are preparing for a sizable increase in work in 2014. According to Associated General Contractors of America chief economist Ken Simonson, construction spending in the U.S. is expected to rise 10 percent by the end of this year. And while more work is definitely good news, those […]

March 14, 2014

Business

The Newbie’s Guide to Succeeding in Construction: 7 rules for your first week

Our industry needs young men. Young men need jobs. You would think these problems would solve each other, but there’s a disconnect. You could blame society, schools, Obama, the Bilderburger Group. Good luck getting any of them to return your phone calls. My solution is much simpler. If you know a young man who didn’t […]

February 12, 2014

Home

Maryland shadow program works to draw high school students to construction training

Through the end of this month a vocational school in Fredrick, Maryland is offering students the opportunity to get a taste of the industry by shadowing its construction training program. The Fredrick County Career and Technology Center (CTC) is the home of several construction technology programs. Each year, the CTC gives its construction students hands-on […]

February 12, 2014

Business

Advice from a master woodworker on the shortage of skilled craftsmen

If you’re looking for a positive message to start off the year, something about character, craftsmanship, leadership and where you’re going to find the next generation of construction workers, take a gander at this. It may be the most inspiring nine minutes you’ll spend this year. [vimeo 78788086 nolink] This video is about much more […]

January 8, 2014

Business

How Immigration reform could bring an end to construction’s skilled worker shortage

What’s “step one” in ending the skilled worker shortage currently plaguing construction companies across the U.S.? If you ask Stan Marek, it’s immigration reform. Marek, the CEO of Houston-based Marek Construction, recently penned a fantastic blog post discussing the necessity of immigration reform to the construction industry’s future. With more than 30 million men and […]

January 6, 2014