Tag: skilled labor shortage: Page 4

Business

Labor shortage pushes up construction cost of Minnesota Vikings stadium

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is in the process of doing a bit of recalculating and prioritizing as it faces the challenge of staying within the $975 million budget for the next home of the Minnesota Vikings in downtown Minneapolis. According to a report from Finance & Commerce, the challenge of finding skilled laborers has caused […]

October 7, 2013

Construction Equipment

After sharp decline during recession, illegal immigrant population shows signs of a rebound alongside construction

A new report released today by the Pew Research Center’s Hispanic Trends Project indicates the sharp recession-induced decline of illegal immigrants living in the United States has stalled. Traditionally drawn to occupations in construction and the service sector, the illegal immigrant population peaked at 12.2 million in 2007, but declined with the recession as the […]

September 23, 2013

Business

Bathtub theory: Construction activity lagging behind home sales due to vacancy rate and household formation

With construction on new homes up 0.9 percent in August, Trulia Chief Economist Jed Kolko points out that new home starts and new home sales are still between 40 and 50 percent below normal levels. Meanwhile, existing home sales are just 2 percent below normal. So why is construction activity still lagging behind the housing […]

September 20, 2013

Business

Will recruiting Millennials to the construction and manufacturing industries prove impossible?

Last week we told you about a survey by Associated General Contractors of America in which 74 percent of contractors across the U.S. reported having trouble finding skilled workers. The problem, well-known at this point, is that during the recession many of the most skilled operators and craftsmen in this industry either left for more […]

September 12, 2013

Business

AGC: 74% of U.S. construction firms having trouble finding skilled workers; most expect trend to continue

A recent survey done by Associated General Contractors of America found that 74 percent of construction companies are having trouble finding skilled workers. The most frequently reported positions contractors are having trouble filling include carpenters, equipment operators and laborers, according to the survey. Meanwhile, 53 percent of responding contractors reported having a hard time filling […]

September 5, 2013

Business

Phoenix contractors unable to meet demand of construction rebound due to skilled worker shortage

After losing nearly half of its construction jobs in the throes of the recession, Phoenix, Arizona is now in the middle of a construction rebound—but unable to hire enough skilled workers to meet demand. “To hire someone right now, you have to offer them more money to draw them away from another company,” construction supervisor […]

August 27, 2013

Business

Rising materials costs, labor shortage, financing woes preventing apartment builders from meeting demand

As we reported last Friday, construction on new homes was up 6 percent in July largely thanks to a 26-percent jump in apartment construction. And that’s been the case for just about the entire year. Any time there’s a gain in overall home starts, apartments are the main contributor. And as we told you back […]

August 19, 2013

Business

Construction company mergers, acquisitions increase as recession-weary contractors weigh the future

It’s well established that the effects of the recession are still being felt by the construction industry. The most visible evidence of that has been the skilled labor shortage. Thousands of skilled workers were laid off in the downturn, some retired, and a lot of those folks simply aren’t coming back even though things seem […]

August 1, 2013

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