The new spending and employment data comes as
the association’s 2020 Construction Outlook survey
found that for each of 13 project types, more contrac-
tors expect an increase in 2020 than a decrease in the
dollar value of projects they compete for. Three-fourths
of the 956 respondents expect to add workers this year,
while only 5 percent expect a decrease. However, 65
percent say it will be as hard or harder to hire workers
than in 2019, when 81 percent said they had a hard time
finding qualified workers to hire.

Association officials added that labor shortages are
forcing contractors to boost pay, invest more in training
and adopt new labor-saving technologies. But they cau-
tioned that those changes are not enough to allow many
contractors to keep pace with growing demand, noting
many firms report they have raised bid prices or pro-
posed longer construction schedules because of labor
shortages. “The single greatest threat to continued growth in the
construction industry is the shortage of qualified candi-
dates for firms to hire,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the as-
sociation’s chief executive officer. “That is why Congress
and the Trump administration must act quickly to boost
investments in career and technical education and allow
more people with construction skills to legally enter the
country.” View the metro employment data, rankings, top 10
and map. View the 2020 Construction Outlook Survey.

“James River and John Deere are, by far, superior to any other manufacturer we have to deal with.

It’s very surprising how quick we can diagnose a repair prior to ever stepping foot on the job site.“
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The North Carolina Construction News — JAN/FEB 2020 — 5