Recent news reports about the U.S. construction industry all comment about the growth of the industry in 2014. Numbers are up, and contractors are saying they’re optimistic about the future. The upward, positive trend is expected to continue happening across the country, and close to home here in Georgia, in the months ahead. In fact, according to a survey and forecast from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), 76 percent of the Georgia contractors who participated in the survey say they expect the construction market to grow again in 2015.
While the construction industry is booming, jobs in the industry are being added, and they are becoming harder to fill. Hiring increases are happening across the country. Contractors in Georgia say they’ll be hiring more people this year, and they’re reporting that there’s a shortage of skilled workers. Of the Georgia contractors surveyed, 88 percent say they expect to employ more people and add to their businesses’ headcounts this year. When asked about the workforce challenges they’re facing, almost half (48%) of the Georgia contractors responded, “I am having a hard time filling both professional and craft worker positions.”
Speaking about the state of the construction industry in one report, AGC CEO Stephen E. Sandherr said, if industry expectations pan out this year, employment in the construction industry could expand faster than it has since 2005. Contractors have a lot to look forward to: The report states, “For the first time since the AGC began the survey in 2009, a majority of contractors are optimistic about the coming year, with 60 percent saying they expect the market will grow. Another 21 percent said they expect the market to grow in 2016.”
Here in Georgia and across the country, everyone is optimistic about the current state of the construction industry, and we’re looking forward to continuing growth in the months and years ahead.