BUILDER NEWS How Local Recruiters Can Help Construction Find Talent Amid A Shortage O ptimism about the economic future of the construction industry is high, and employers expect to increase their payrolls in the coming year and beyond, according to the Associated General Contractors of America — but no one is really sure where the labor to support all that activity is going to come from. And while the attention has largely focused on how hard it is to find skilled craft workers like carpenters, construction companies are also struggling to fill open slots for positions such as superintendents and project managers. It is for those jobs where some in the industry turn to professional recruiters. Recruiters count both candidates and construction companies among their clients and work to arrange the best matches between the two. But, according to industry experts, that sounds simpler than it is. “We use what we call a career-directed approach,” said Mark Jones, executive vice president and national sales manager at Kimmel & Associates. Jones said Kimmel is in a constant state of recruiting, not just when a job order comes in. The company’s sales team identifies qualified individuals and reaches out to them, whether they’re open to an opportunity at the time or not. “We may find some people looking immediately or looking for something years down the road,” he said. Workers in the prime of their careers, the recruiter said, could be looking to make a move at some point, and want to stake out a position geographically closer to where they plan to retire. Most recently, Jones said he placed someone he first made contact with 16 years ago. The candidate wasn’t happy with his company’s new ownership, a prospect that seemed unlikely when they spoke for the first time so many years ago. “It’s all about building and maintaining relationships,” he said, “and building trust. People take our calls because they know we’re not going to waste their time.” But that trust is just as important on the company side as well. After all, both contractors and candidates make up the company’s immense database, Jones said, and oftentimes the contractors they’ve maintained personal relationships with are a primary — and exclusive — source for candidate leads, an invaluable tool when supply is tight. “It’s tough because good candidates aren’t out there looking for a job,” said Brian Binke, CEO and president of Detroit-area recruiting firm The Birmingham Group. Binke chalked up the tight supply to the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 and to the lack of programs in high schools that might spark an interest in the construction industry as a career. “A lot of companies got lean and mean or went out of business [during the recession],” he said. “At the same time, kids don’t see [construction] as a fun industry. Young people don’t know if they’re good at it or not because they’re not exposed to it.” Read More 18 HBRA of Fairfield County | JANUARY 2018 ABC: Contractors Should Monitor Rising Material Prices S oftwood lumber is one input price that is sure to rise in the coming months as the U.S. and Canada wade through a legal battle over the material. Earlier this month, the U.S. International Trade Commission affirmed final tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber imports, ruling that those imports had hurt the U.S. lumber industry. In November, Canadian officials had initiated a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trade challenge against duties on $5.66 billion worth of U.S. lumber imports before formally opening a case at the World Trade Organization over the material. Canada said it will seek a review of the action under NAFTA’s dispute process The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has pushed back against the U.S.-imposed tariffs, arguing that it will increase homebuilding costs and hurt the new housing market, which is already facing supply shortages. According to the NAHB, Canada supplies 95% of wood imports, which made up 33% of U.S. lumber supplies. Despite the threat of increased material costs, builder confidence increased by two points to a mark of 70 on the November NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, its highest level since March and second-highest level since July 2005. Job growth, a rise in homeownership rates and a continuing shortage of available homes all drove the index higher, according to the NAHB. Read More
19 Publizr Home