The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Ken Simonson

Builders adding jobs, but struggling to find workers

By

Construction employers added 12,000 jobs in October, and unemployment in that sector fell to its lowest levels since 2006, according to a new report from Associated General Contractors of America.

The construction employment gains, along with rising wages and weekly hours, are consistent with survey results from the group that more firms are having a tough time finding enough qualified workers to fill available positions.

“For the past several months, the construction industry has added jobs at double the all-industry rate of 1.9 percent,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a release. “Construction wages, which were already higher than the private-sector average, rose 2.6 percent in the last year — the fastest rate since early 2010 — as contractors ramped up their search for qualified workers.”

Construction employment totaled just under 6.1 million in October, the highest since May 2009, with a 12-month gain of 231,000 jobs, or 3.9 percent. Residential building and specialty trade contractors added a combined 8,000 employees since September, and 130,600 over 12 months — a jump of 6 percent.

Non-residential contractors — building, specialty trades, and heavy and civil engineering — experienced an overall gain of 3,600 employees for the month, and just under 100,000 over the past year.

“There were fewer unemployed, experienced constructions workers last month than at any time in the past eight years,” Simonson said. “These indicators — high weekly hours, low unemployment and accelerating wage gains — point to an industry that may be on the very of acute difficulty filling key positions.”

Nearly 1,100 construction firms were surveyed by the association in October, showing 83 percent reporting difficulty in finding craft workers, and 61 percent having trouble filling other professional positions. As a result, the association is pushing federal, state and local officials to enact a series of measures that would make it easier for school districts, local associations and private firms to establish career and technical education and training programs.

“The construction industry has made an impressive contribution to the nation’s employment gains this year,” said Stephen Sandherr, the association’s chief executive, in a release. “But those gains are in jeopardy unless schools, colleges and training programs can refill a pool of talent that is rapidly drying up.”

Local construction jobs continuing slow climb

By

New homes, apartment buildings and even commercial structures are in construction mode … and with that comes an influx of well-paying construction jobs.

The number of jobs available in the greater Tampa Bay market rose 3 percent in June compared to what it was a year ago to 58,600 workers.Yet, when compared to the rest of the state, that growth is below average, according to a new report by Associated General Contractors of America.

“Contractors have been expanding their work force in about two-thirds of the country for several months in a row,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a release. “Some metro areas are adding workers at a strong clip, but the gains remain modest and sporadic in many localities.”

The Fort Walton Beach and Naples area had the largest growth in the state with a 16 percent increase in workers. However, those two areas combined have just a little more than 16,000 construction jobs, a fraction of the Tampa Bay region.

The greater Orlando area, which has the second highest number of construction jobs with 54,900, had an 8 percent increase year over year.

The state added 44,500 construction jobs since June 2013, an increase of 12 percent.

Builders are facing a challenge where some federal infrastructure and construction programs could be in jeopardy. AGCA members are asking Congress to pass a continuing resolution that would set federal spending levels for next year, and to enact long-term surface transportation legislation. Having these measures, they say, would make it easier for many construction firms to make hiring, purchasing and expansion plans.

“It is hard to make sound business decisions when you don’t know how much work will be available in the near future,” said Stephen Sandherr, the association’s chief executive, in a release.

Region added 3,300 construction jobs in January

By

It may not lead the nation, or even the state, but the Tampa Bay region added 3,300 construction jobs in January compared to the year before, fueling a 6 percent increase in the industry.

That’s part of a new report from Associated General Contractors of America, which warned that while growth is always good, the region and the country still has room to rebound.

“It is a sign of the continued strengthening of the construction industry that nearly 60 percent of metros added construction jobs from a year earlier despite the severe winter conditions in much of the country this January,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a release. “Nevertheless, the industry’s recovery has a long way to  go with only a smattering of metro areas exceeding their previous peak January level of employment.

The largest construction growth came from the greater Los Angeles area, which added 8,100 jobs, followed by the Houston region in Texas with 7,900 jobs.

Florida added 36,900 construction jobs, creating 11 percent growth year-over-year. That was led by the Fort Lauderdale area with 4,400 jobs — ranked 16th in the nation — and Orlando with 4,200 jobs, ranked 41st in the nation. Tampa Bay was ranked 89th.

Only two regions of Florida showed no growth. Gainesville lost 400 jobs, or 9 percent of its workforce, while the Panama City area was flat.

Tampa Bay still has the most construction workers in the state with 56,700, followed by Orlando with 51,000 and Fort Lauderdale with 35,600.

There could be some problems coming this summer when it’s anticipated that some federally funded transportation projects will dry up, the association said. Congress and the Obama administration will need to find ways to fund that shortfall in order to prevent the loss of construction jobs in the coming months, said Stephen Sandherr, the association’s chief executive.

The complete state-by-state ranking can be found by clicking here.