This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A majority of Utah's building contractors hired new workers last year and more expect to add employees in 2015 as the industry continues its erratic recovery from the Great Recession.
But as they enter a second year of prevailing optimism, contractors are unsure where they are going to find these carpenters, masons, framers, plumbers and electricians.
A survey released Wednesday by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) shows more than 85 percent of contractors in the Beehive State expect to have difficulties in finding and hiring new building professionals.
Their national counterparts share that worry. U.S. contractors' foremost challenge "is the growing shortage of qualified workers — especially craft workers — to fill available positions," said Stephen Sandherr, AGC's chief executive.
Utah's general contractors predict an upswing in construction projects across all sectors, with the exception of public buildings. About 70 percent said they expected to expand payrolls this year, the AGC survey found.
In addition to hiring from vocational schools, community colleges and apprenticeship programs, the construction industry may also draw skilled workers from Utah's oil and gas sector as it faces contraction due to plunging oil prices, said Doug Welling, president and CEO of Jacobsen Construction in Salt Lake City.
According to Sandherr and others, there are "30 or 40" reasons for the dearth of qualified workers in construction trades, some demographic, others tied to the recent economic downturn.
Large numbers of construction workers left the business permanently during the housing crash. Longer term, as baby boomers near the end of long careers in the profession, fewer young workers are replacing them, choosing other career paths.
"We're seeing a generation retire," said Walt Fegley, newly elected president of AGC and head of Reno Contracting in San Diego. "And there is quite a gap behind them for skilled people in the field."
Industry officials are focused on improving construction-related job training across the country, Fegley said, and elevating promising newcomers to give them more hands-on experience.
Twitter: @Tony_Semerad —
New faces at Utah Home Builders Association
Kelly Stephens, operations manager of SunRiver Construction in St. George, will be president of the 1,700-member Utah Home Builders Association during 2015.
His company built a master-planned community for active adults in Washington County.
Joining Stephens in leadership roles with the association are Dale DeLlamas of DeLlamas Construction, first vice president; Boyd Martin of D.R. Horton, second vice president; Trevor Inman of Honey Bucket, associate vice president; and Brett Brown of Questar Gas Co., secretary/treasurer.
In addition, Stephens was named "Builder of the Year" and Brown the "Associate of the Year." Pete Petermann of Signature Group Real Estate in Midvale received a lifetime achievement award.