Kevin Yakes spends so much time trying to keep his Golden Valley construction firm staffed, he sometimes feels like a full-time recruiter. During a recent family getaway in Florida, Yakes hopped in the car and drove more than an hour to have beers with a refrigeration technician he wanted to attract to Minnesota.
"It's like dating," Yakes said. "I've never, ever, had such a hard time trying to find people."
Nearly a decade after the U.S. economy collapsed and construction workers fled the industry, Twin Cities builders and contractors are in the midst of one of their busiest years. But a shortage of skilled workers means that new projects — from modest office renovations to soaring new apartment towers — are costing more and taking longer to complete. The situation has contributed to a housing shortage in the region.
Even last year's completion of U.S. Bank Stadium, a project that kept thousands of workers busy for nearly three years, hasn't fully replenished the pool of construction help. "We have more work than we know what to do with," said Robert Heise, president of the Minnesota-North Dakota chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.
As of May, there were more than 125,000 construction workers in Minnesota, the most for that month since 2006. And the latest tally of construction job openings was the highest in at least a decade. Electricians, carpenters and plumbers are among the most scarce.
Labor leaders say the industry has struggled to attract young people to replenish the pool of workers drained by the 2008-2009 recession, even though construction jobs pay above-average wages and most require just a high school diploma.
One reason for that, says Tim Worke, chief executive of the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota, is that vocational training has been devalued. "Everyone has been told that you have to have a four-year degree to be prosperous at life," Worke said.
But it's a fine line, he added, because the old notion that construction is a field only for those with a "strong back and a strong body" isn't the case anymore. The work is more technical and workers need advanced training, Worke said.