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As Tampa Bay building boom swells, can supply of construction workers meet demand?

 
A Hyatt hotel under construction at Central Avenue and Second Street N in St. Petersburg, like many projects throughout Tampa Bay, could face a challenge as a national industry group warns of a looming shortage of construction workers.
A Hyatt hotel under construction at Central Avenue and Second Street N in St. Petersburg, like many projects throughout Tampa Bay, could face a challenge as a national industry group warns of a looming shortage of construction workers.
Published Sept. 1, 2016

Within blocks of my writing this column at the Tampa Bay Times, downtown St. Petersburg remains a frenzy of block-long demolition (despite the rain) to make room for a massive mixed-use building, and a construction zone of multiple apartment buildings. A Hyatt hotel is rising along with the next tier of fancy condominiums promising waterfront glimpses in a crowded condo canyon.

Tampa's reinvigorated downtown will soon feature the $2 billion cornerstone Vinik-Cascade project, while the Heights development will emerge just to the north along the Hills­borough River. Don't forget Tampa International Airport's massive, next-generation revamp.

On Hillsborough County's south side, housing developments blossom at a pace unmatched in this metro area. And Wesley Chapel's boom continues in Pasco County.

That barrage of new building means a wealth of jobs for carpenters, electricians, plumbers and a host of less skilled labor. That's good news after the 2006 housing bust forced thousands of area construction workers to leave in search of jobs or retrain hoping to gain relevant skills.

Now we've come full circle. Area building demand is again outstripping our supply of skilled construction talent. Tampa Bay employed nearly 94,000 construction workers a decade ago, before the recession cut industry jobs to 52,000 by 2011. Demand for building jobs here has climbed since then, hitting 68,000 in July.

That's still 26,000 fewer construction jobs in this area than existed in 2006.

Tampa Bay's predicament is not unique. A U.S. construction binge has the nation's building industry struggling to fill skilled jobs and worried its pipeline of trained younger workers won't keep up with the far-more-skilled building workers about to retire.

Nationally, two out of three construction firms report they are having a hard time filling hourly craft positions, from carpenters to plumbers, that represent the bulk of the construction workforce. So says a survey released Wednesday by the Associated General Contractors of America.

In Florida, the survey found 68 percent of construction firms reported difficulty hiring salaried field positions, like project managers. And 61 percent said it was hard hiring carpenters and electricians.

"These shortages have the potential to undermine broader economic growth by forcing contractors to slow scheduled work or choose not to bid on projects, thereby inflating the cost of construction," AGCA chief executive Stephen Sandherr warns. His group said building industry employment fell or stagnated in 119, or one-third, of 358 metro areas between July 2015 and July 2016 — despite a strong overall increase in demand for construction.

Remember, close to 1,000 folks a day are moving to Florida, a migration of retiring baby boomers and people drawn to a warm-weather state whose jobless rate is below 5 percent. New things must be built to make room.

If we have the workers to make it happen.

Contact Robert Trigaux at rtrigaux@tampabay.com. Follow @venturetampabay.