Skilled labor is getting hard to find, the National Association of Home Builders says, and that’s slowing the return of the nation’s housing industry to full health.
“The survey of our members shows that since June of 2012, residential construction firms are reporting an increasing number of shortages in all aspects of the industry – from carpenters, excavators, framers, roofers, and plumbers, to bricklayers, HVAC, building maintenance managers, and weatherization workers,” NAHB chief economist David Crowe said in a written statement. “The same holds true for subcontractors.”
Labor shortages have forced builders to pay higher wages to subcontractors, which in turn is pushing up home prices. Nearly half the builders surveyed said they’ve experienced delays in getting projects completed on time.
NAHB said the collapse of the housing industry during the recession forced more than 1.4 million people to seek jobs elsewhere as builders went out of business or cut back.
To increase the pool of skilled workers in residential construction, NAHB said it was working with the Home Builders Institute to provide training and job placement.
NAHB said it expects 970,000 housing starts this year and 1.18 million in 2014.
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So does this mean I am finally becoming a valuable commodity in the technical career field? Maybe, now I can raise my rates to "decent living" levels.
If so, we better keep this on the DL lest every yahoo with a circular saw and a hammer will be slapping his name on a pickup truck and calling himself "skilled".
For the record, the lack of skilled trades peoples seems to cut across more career fields than just homebuilding. After trying in vain to find a competent CNC machinist, my wife (yes, my wife is in the machine trades) decided to open her own CNC Training Academy. While at her ribbon cutting ceremony, I got talking to a guy from a skilled trades specific staffing agency who told me that they could use similar training facilities for people in carpentry, woodwork, automotive, and metal fabrication.
Hmm, all those areas of learning that our public schools deemed less valuable to teach and shut down. Now we see what may happen when the government forcefully directs kids away of jobs that allows them to move around a little and maybe get their hands dirty in order to craft something with a little bit of pride and integrity {stated too artsy?}.
Maybe I should just start a carpentry academy to complement my wife's CNC academy.
DC
If you think it is bad now, just wait another 10 years when the last of the folks that went through vocational training in their high schools start retiring.
This is a direct result of the infatuation with the "No Child Left Behind" concept. In the early 90's, schools in Texas started concentrating on the testing programs that are now required for a High School diploma, ostensibly preparing everyone for college. On the surface it sounds like a great thing. But it is kinda like putting a windshield wiper on a goat's ass. "Its a good idea, but it just don't work!" It has resulted in an entire generation of kids, and taxpayers too, essentially getting ripped off.
These schools began dismantling their vocational education programs at the same time. The West Texas town I grew up in had an excellent program. Our school turned out fully qualified home builders, machinists, welders, cabinet makers, mechanics etc. that could go straight into the workforce and make themselves a decent living and even support a family.
On of the facts of life is some kids just aren't college material, whether by choice, or life's circumstances such as having a child to raise at 18 years of age. As a result of the vocational programs destruction, the only option most of these these kids now have is a minimum wage job flipping burgers, or working at a 7-11. Or cooking meth...
In addition, the kids that were told the streets are paved with gold and a college degree, are finding out the harsh reality of that decision. The isn't much demand for a liberal arts degree, especially now. Essentially with the same employment options as the non college bound kids. Same result with the added bonus of, in some cases huge, education loans to pay off, which cannot be discharged in bankruptcy court BTW, thanks to W's pandering to the banks.
Sorry if this turned into a rant, but it is another example of just needing to let the free market work, and reducing govt "meddling & expense" in essentially everything. There is always an unintended consequence. In this case it has really upset the balance of skilled trades as well as job opportunities for folks that could really use the work.
This goes hand in hand with the demise of unions in America. The unions were responsible for the recruiting and training of a highly skilled workforce over the past 50 years.
Good luck now people with your $9 per hour ' skilled craftsmen '.
Read every posting for skilled labor needed and you will find ten dollars per hour is the standard compensation package. Woefully short for survival.This is what happens when you surround your society with leadership that neither understands how an economy operates or posits ideology that maligns the membership of other economic forces outside of white collar (ie: unions, skilled trade groups, et.al.) Unions historically operated with a leadership class of skilled craftsmen who passed along to apprentices the intricacies of their chosen field. With the dissolution of the trade unions we have lost our mentor class and thus the necessary education afforded by the unions to its membership. We are in a crisis and short of realigning the political landscape that gives some measure of economic insight and intelligence with regard to education the labor force of the future will be inadequately prepared to accomodate and fulfill the needs of our society.
@dutchmans gold
I'm pretty sure there was a good stock of skilled trades prior to unions and I should think that even during the stronger union years, the vast majority of skilled trade professionals were neither taught by nor tied to union endeavors.
However, I do believe that the unions have the right ideal on how to educate young career seekers; through apprenticeship programs. As primary schools continue to drop programs previously dedicated to sparking interest in craft careers and secondary schools seem to be similarly shying away from trade craft education it leaves a difficult road for young people to venture towards when looking for a 'non-technical' career. As many of us veterans know, the best way to gain real world experience is by working in the real world and I think that is what the future of secondary education looks like; As according to the adage "what was old is new again" should certainly apply as the old idea of on the job training through apprenticeship begins to become more popular as a legitimate form of secondary and post-secondary education throughout all fields of study including skilled tradecraft.
As I mentioned before, my wife has began a school for CNC machinists and that is exactly how she determined the programs should be taught; Students learn from instructors who are actual CNC machinists and the students run machines right along side their instructors. Parts chosen for the students to make are actual parts that have been produced (though student parts do not go out as production parts). Students begin on smaller scale CNC machines (she purchased new Tormach mills for them) then eventually work their way up to full size machines (Haas 5-Axis). Then after the student finishes the program they are assisted in getting a job from any of the many local machine shops that have expressed interest in drafting from the academy. On top of that, my wife has been touring local high schools and community colleges to renew interest in machinist occupations amongst young people. Kids are often quite impressed to know how vast the field really is and how many items are still produced here in America... not to mention how well paid a skilled CNC operator is.
DC
I agree with dutchman as far as bringing on a carpenter for less than $20 an hour. As far as unions go they needed to go. The fact of the matter is kids are lazy and would rather work on a computer than with a hammer. Carpentry use to be a high dollar free lifestyle that many of us like me started in their teens. Now they cannot touch a ladder until after 18. It is too late then. The real thing is: is that we have been aging for the last 15 years. People did construction 15-30 then moved into a secure job. Now you are getting a few people like me I retired out of the military and wanted to relive my youth, but all the contractors here are within a decade of me (54). It seems no one is teaching priorities in schools, because we are not the only ones. Look at transportation and agriculture industries also.
Living in the heartland, Kansas City, I have watched over the last 20 years, the demise of the trades. Kansas City is a conservative city to the point it was insulated from boom/bust of the national economy. Friends, that has changed. Now there is a shortage of skilled workers. Many now look to draw unemployment or disability. Claims have skyrocketed. It seems that many of the young no longer want to work. When young folk can make more money doing nothing, living with mom and dad, or finding a girlfriend to support them, they turn into deadbeats. America is losing (lost) its work ethic. Now here in KC the trades are being overrun with "illegals from south of the border". I totally understand why also. These people work hard, daylight to dark, do good work, and go on their way. While locals whine about illegals, the illegals are finishing a roof, frame a couple of houses, clean up, and go to another job. We must get our "work back on", and stop with the whining.
Having been a member of the Carpenter Union on the east coast then moving to California in the early 70's I witnessed first hand the attempts and quite frankly the fantastic sucess of the "home-builders" associations at destroying the best source of trained tradesmen it had by importing low-skilled low wage workers from primarily Mexico and South America all through the 80s and 90s. At first the bargaining agreements decoupled residential building from commercial, creating a two tier wage system. The lower of the two was residential. Now that residential carpenters were being paid less than commercial carpenters where do you think the union membership shifted. As the available local labor shifted to higher paying commercial work hiring halls couldn't supply skilled workers to residential job sites and contractors lobbied their associations and politicians to turn a blind eye to illegal immigration to fill demand at the lower wage. Its not so difficult to train a willing young Latino worker if all he has to do is learn how to install sub floor or he becomes a "sheeting nailer" or just rolls truss week after month. No thought was ever given with what to do with all these people once the boom ended. So the race to the bottom began and now we are left with the results. I don't blame the kids coming over the boarder they were escaping a life of poverty that most Americans have little understanding. The fact is because they were coming to an industry that being systematically de-unionized and they had lost the best chance for representation and bargaining power. By the way the Union work force that is left is mainly concentrated in Commercial work where a Carpenter wages still allow a member to afford the housed that he no longer builds.
The union didn't recruit me the public schools did. I had my first shop class in the 6th grade. I built a paddle-wheel boat and a wall lamp. I still remember working on them(I'm 68). 7th, 8th, and 9th grades we had a mixture of different shops. I had carpentry, printing, and sheet metal. I was hooked and knew from that experience that I was going to be a cabinet-maker. I attended a Trade high school and after graduating, I worked in the trade for 47 years with a 3 year break for the Army. All but 3 years in the trade as a union carpenter/cabinet-maker. The union had very little formal training when I started but it has improved. Most of what I learned after graduating was learned from co-workers. Some co-workers shared very little but some were very helpful. My 3 years in a non-union shop were just as satisfying and rewarding as the union shops.
We need more exposure to manual training in our schools. Some of my fellow workers had some collage and some even graduated with degrees. It didn't matter, they loved working with their hands and creating things. Maybe it is just in our jeans(or coveralls) look at some of our kids favorite toys. Plastic hammers, saws, and tool benches.
I started with a coping saw in the sixth grade and retired after working on a CNC router for my last three years. It all started back then just working with my hands. Not only did it provide a job, it provided for my large family. I was able to build our vacation home and do many rehab jobs on our primary homes myself thus saving much money.
We teach a lot of useless things in school but we should be teaching for the kids future. We were the greatest, strongest country in the world without a doubt and now other countries laugh in our face. Get back to what made us great. Teach what we need not what makes someone feel good.
Opps, damn spell check, I meant college not collage. It must be that public school training.
I have been in residential construction for 18 years and what I have learned is there is no future in the trades. Since there is no group representing the workers conditions keep getting worse. I have decided to leave residential and sign up with the Union! Is it to much to ask to be treated like a professional. Now everybody wants to pay with a 1099. Is it to much to ask for workers comp insurance in case I get hurt! Or social security since you wont pay into a 401k or pension. I am done giving and giving and getting nothing in return. That's not lazy that's self respect! I work my ass off and I haven't had a raise in 5 years. I am 41 at my peak, now I will take my skills somewhere that I will get rewarded for them.
From Lisa-the mom:
First of all, I respect all of your opinions that have been voiced.
Most of the things mentioned before I posted are a part of the problem, but this is a view from a homeschooling mom's perspective.
This may sound simplistic, but the demise of the traditional American family and how it functions is also a part of the problem. A lot of the problems are politically related as is this one. Weren't most of our grandfathers skilled laborers of some sort? And for sure our great-grandfathers. Didn't a lot of our dads follow in the footsteps of their father's? I know this is true in my family and in the region that I live in. Go back even further, weren't the pioneers and pilgrims (by necessity) skilled laborers and/or skilled technicians? Of course, they were or they wouldn't have survived! Now, weren't the boys in the family skilled at a very young age from working beside their fathers? And most of these children went to school part-time (and school wasn't the length of months or hours per day that it is now) and were intelligent with a load of common sense. Have you all seen an 8th grade test for graduation from the 1800s? It shows what a sad state our current educational system is in now.
Another unpopular thing to look at, too is weren't most of these moms at home? I know this is touchy and unpopular, but I'm only asking you to look at it from a historical perspective. Were the mothers not at home? Didn't this help create a strong family unit-mom at home creating love and stability and sons with dads creating responsibility and purpose? Now, don't undermine mom's importance! She, too, was a skilled laborer and was a huge part in making a homestead viable. She, too, sold her goods or traded them at market and they were usually produced at home.
The children grew up on the homestead learning skills, duties and real responsibilities plus they received a pertinent education. Then came WWII (and other factors)and major changes to the family-scape of America. Most of these changes should have been temporary, but as we all know they were not.
So, boys working with dads or apprentices and girls working with moms creates a skilled workforce. But, not if they're in school and sports and other extra-curricular activities (not to mention video games) most of their young life.
Now the educational system. It stinks. I don't know of one successful school. We are all proud of our communities and its schools, but let's look at the financial and academic records. Can we deem them successful? The closest thing to a successful public-style school that I've saw is a charter school that brought in real farm animals for the children to take care of. Everyday it is the children's responsibility to care for the animals and their studies relate to the farm, too. This school improved test scores and children's attitudes by giving them real responsibility and purpose. The best alternative is homeschooling. Research the skills, academics and social value of homeschool children and graduates. Read the book by John Taylor Gatto-Dumbing us Down.
I realize most people don't like to hear the above statements. It does put a tremendous responsibility on parents and yes, especially dads. But, have we not determined the current system is broken? Have we not all been railing the atrocities that we see? Pull your children out of public school and bring them alongside you. Teach them your values and skills. What have you got to lose?
As a Non-union Contractor for 30 years I see the wage problem primarily due to homeowners who want work done for little or nothing. If I charged them $5.00 an hour for a Carpenter they would say "fine" do the job. That's where the unions have the advantage: Union Contractors bid jobs using union wages, there's no "fly by night" competetion to deal with. That's what makes the difference, the Union.
I have noticed the drop two folds. First no one wants to come out of high school and work, they have a sense of entitlement that manual labor is to much work for the money. I have tried to hire young kids out of high school and its a disaster. The second thing I have noticed is with all the importance put on college, people do not feel that you should get paid decent money for construction work. They always try to talk down prices and base what you charge by what they make. The schools have put such a negative outlook on the trades, that people assume that anyone can frame a house, or build furniture and lay floors.
After serving during the Vietnam War and leaving the service with a disability to return home to California. We were not welcome. The influx of Mexican cheap labor was another thing. After 5 years of looking all that I found my way to Wisconsin. The ABC had a strangle hold on new construction and the attitudes of no pay and do what you are told was here to stay. So I used what I learned in the service and furthered my electronics skill but construction was where I always wanted to be. Today Scott Walker and his big money Republican backers from around the country are tearing the working man apart and one day we will not build anything. There will be all bosses and no workers. They don't want us, won't pay us and have been successful at pushing us away. There will only be one thing you can count on is change and the future you won't like. The change will be for the worse. The young men and women will go to war and the work they want will pay less and go to other with all their limbs and of brain dead attitudes. The pot smokers are coming and the home building construction trade will take them on. I bussed tables in a Fine French Restaurant and brought home $12 plus an hour in the late 1960’s. My dad said to keep my pay stubs because one day no one would believe it. You won’t believe what I have to tell you. But until you make Union Carpenters out of the lot of the slugs working or should I say not working in the Home Building Industry you will have individuals doing it all by themselves because the Brotherhood of Shared Labor will not include wages.
I think you could hire the labor from CA where the constant increase in codes, fees, taxes and anything the government and the government unions can come up with keep building to a minimum. They tell the people that voting for a tax will be for the schools, then after it passes they use it for funding the state retirement systems where people retire at 50 with all the benefits you can imagine, while the rest of have keep working to pay for it, while at the same time we do not have the healthcare and other benefits. Then those government unions contribute millions to the campaign funds of those who promote the taxes.
I was an independent contractor for 40 years. The California Air Resources Board made my tractors illegal, faced with several hundred thousand dollars in replacement costs and hardly any work I had to close and try to sell my equipment out of state.
The reason you cannot get skilled labor here is that they all want push button jobs, I had people call looking for a job then when they come over and talked to me they tell me they need some experience so they get an inspectors job.
I personally worked in a union shop in my twenties and found it was pretty bad as workers with the same classification as me got the same pay I did but could not perform and did not know the work that well. That is why I quit and decided to start my own business and I would pay according to performance, my best guys stayed about ten years then went out on their own which is fine and understandable, the under-performers only lasted between two weeks and three months.
One big problem I ran onto is that the long term workers got very expensive on the healthcare as they got older the insurance companies kept raising the price based on age for them and me included, no amount of shopping helped. It was also more expensive on the liability insurance as they based it on payroll so they more I payed them the higher the rate.
I was engaged in residential sight preparation including, grading, underground, water, sewer, storm drain, electric, gas, and phone, curb and gutter, and paving. We made turn key subdivisions. I also built custom houses and some commercial steel buildings like gymnasiums and shops.
Here in CA the cost of building a new house is more than that house is worth today, that makes it pretty discouraging to build, and jobs are hard to find, so you could probably get some skilled workers here except they do not want to leave because they can get welfare and work under the table and make more than going to another state. They can also get a nice monthly income for a child so they have one every year and they come with a healthcare card, a nice business on its own. Most of the new housing going up around here is government built low or no income housing or habitat for humanity.
I find this union bashing so funny considering unions are the reason manyof us can enjoy paid vacations, sick leave, 40hr workweek, overtime and safe working conditions.
Americans continue to be the most productive workers in the world, while our incomes/earnings have remained stagnant and in most cases declined. That is in correlation with the decline in unions and there membership.
You see non union workplaces had to find away to compete for quality workers, so they were force to offer the same benefits union shops ogfered. You think they WANTED to do that? Hell NO! How ironic that the same people who complain about skilled labor not being appreciated
are some of the same ones that bash unions, the entity that fought for you to earn a LIVABLE wage where you could support you family,buy a home andsend schild to college if thatd what they chose.
But no we let politicians turn working class folks of all persuasians against one another with all there code words and rhetoric. Meanwhile poli
I've been training students here at a community college in Washington state for over 25 years and do all I can to stay current with all the tools, techniques, technology. In addtiion I have a very active Advisory committee that works close with us on our curriculum. I am very confident in my students who SUCCESSFULLY complete our program ( we do have students who do not make the grade and are not reccomended for job) are skilled and ready to be employed and have many many success stories to tell. IF NAHB is looking for trained skilled, english speaking entry level carpenters, look for and support community and Technical/Vocationl college's and schools.
I find this union bashing so funny considering unions are the reason manyof us can enjoy paid vacations, sick leave, 40hr workweek, overtime and safe working conditions.
Americans continue to be the most productive workers in the world, while our incomes/earnings have remained stagnant and in most cases declined. That is in correlation with the decline in unions and there membership.
You see non union workplaces had to find away to compete for quality workers, so they were force to offer the same benefits union shops ogfered. You think they WANTED to do that? Hell NO! How ironic that the same people who complain about skilled labor not being appreciated
are some of the same ones that bash unions, the entity that fought for you to earn a LIVABLE wage where you could support you family,buy a home andsend schild to college if thatd what they chose.
But no we let politicians turn working class folks of all persuasians against one another with all there code words and rhetoric. Meanwhile politicians laudgh there way to the bank and working class folks fight for the scraps and crumbs that fall off their dinner tables.
We slept and now we are paying for not paying attention to legislation these politicians passed that was written by lobbyist that continiue to spend billions on behalf of corporations to keep wages down by any means necessary. While you poor shmucks that fell and continue to fall for this union bashing rhetoric will continue to pay the price when this country turns to a complete oligarcy within the next 15-20yrs.
We'll all be in the same boat except the 1%. It's already happen to the former middle class, now they know how the poor feel now who the once looked down on and would say "you must be that way because of the decisions you made" right? Its a lot deeper than that but politicians and the corporatists know we'll continue to not pay attenion to them and the legislation they pass on behalf of corporate lobbyist who could vote agai care less about the everyday skilled laborers/craftmen that vote against their interest because politicians got them to find some group to blame for their misfortune whatever that maybe.
Oh and this shortage of labor is nothing but a play on words which exploiters are masters of. The only shotage is a shortage of Anericans willing to work for peanuts at jobs they know should comnand a higher wage and compensation. That goes from IT all the way down to skiiled labor.
As Nailman stated there are people at his tech college trained to do the work and i would bet builders would pass them over for a less skiiled/trained laborer because the would have oay a livable wage because that person is highly skilled and trained...come on now!
I find this union bashing so funny considering unions are the reason manyof us can enjoy paid vacations, sick leave, 40hr workweek, overtime and safe working conditions.
Americans continue to be the most productive workers in the world, while our incomes/earnings have remained stagnant and in most cases declined. That is in correlation with the decline in unions and there membership.
You see non union workplaces had to find away to compete for quality workers, so they were force to offer the same benefits union shops ogfered. You think they WANTED to do that? Hell NO! How ironic that the same people who complain about skilled labor not being appreciated
are some of the same ones that bash unions, the entity that fought for you to earn a LIVABLE wage where you could support you family,buy a home andsend schild to college if thatd what they chose.
But no we let politicians turn working class folks of all persuasians against one another with all there code words and rhetoric. Meanwhile politicians laudgh there way to the bank and working class folks fight for the scraps and crumbs that fall off their dinner tables.
We slept and now we are paying for not paying attention to legislation these politicians passed that was written by lobbyist that continiue to spend billions on behalf of corporations to keep wages down by any means necessary. While you poor shmucks that fell and continue to fall for this union bashing rhetoric will continue to pay the price when this country turns to a complete oligarcy within the next 15-20yrs.
We'll all be in the same boat except the 1%. It's already happen to the former middle class, now they know how the poor feel now who the once looked down on and would say "you must be that way because of the decisions you made" right? Its a lot deeper than that but politicians and the corporatists know we'll continue to not pay attenion to them and the legislation they pass on behalf of corporate lobbyist who could vote agai care less about the everyday skilled laborers/craftmen that vote against their interest because politicians got them to find some group to blame for their misfortune whatever that maybe.
I have been in the plumbing trade (non-union) for 30 years.
The fact is that in this time period it has always been difficult to make a good living wage in the trades in the US. There has been virtual stagnation in workmans wages for at least the last decade, possibly longer.
Additionally there is no respect given (on a social level) in this country towards skilled tradesmen and craftspeople.
Why would anyone with a choice want to become a tradesman in the US? Please, enlighten me.
Henry Ford started the 40 hour week, heath care insurance and payed vacations and paid more than other manufacturers to attract more and better workers. Long before Ford was a union shop.
Skilled labor is becoming difficult to find? Keep in mind who is saying this: the NAHB. If I may translate: Skilled labor is out there but it costs more than what the big national and regional homebuilding outfits would like to pay.
National Association of Home Builders is something of a misnomer. It would be more accurate to call them National Association of Residential Real Estate Developers and Mortgage Financiers. In other words, they don't represent the interests of tradesmen.
Meanwhile, considering what happened with the economy and the home mortgage bubble - why is anyone surprised? Even though the recession "ended" for the economy as a whole in October 2009 the construction industry didn't stop losing jobs until January 2011. The construction industry has about 2,000,000 fewer workers now than it did this time in 2008.
If you are a skilled tradesman and are driven out of the business you can't sit on your hands for 5 YEARS waiting for business to come back. You move on and find another line of work. Likewise, you can't blame young people for not entering the trades because the whole profession was in steep decline between 2007 and 2011.
Lastly, a reason there are so few "skilled" workers is that large employers have redefined what that means - it means you show up fully trained on Day 1. No one thinks they should have to train anymore. Instead they ask kids to put themselves through trade school, with their own time and money. Of all the machinists and electricians in my family not a single one went to Vo/Tech or trade school. They all got trained on the job, be it by General Electric or a local contracting business.
Joe_Bob writes: Skilled labor is becoming difficult to find? Keep in mind who is saying this: the NAHB. If I may translate: Skilled labor is out there but it costs more than what the big national and regional homebuilding outfits would like to pay.
Exsactly!
Hey, guys you think its bad over there, try coming across the pond to the UK, the place is on its knees, full of Romanians and Polish illegals and our welfare system caters for the workshy and lazy people, most of which are happy and better off financially by not working... GGRRR
From what I've seen, many in the residential building trades are not very skilled at all. Any moron can build a house, or so they think. Don't do well in high school? Become a builder.
The quality of our homes shows it.
In a throw-away society, why put too much into a house that is only meant to survive a generation? If that.
I agree with Joe_Bob
When I got into construction the company I worked for had their own workforce, all on hourly basis.They kept their workmen even when business slowed down.And they trained new, unskilled workmen until they also produced quality work.The company was regarded as one of the best in the country.
11 years later new management introduced piece-work contracts.
Time was more important than good work. When business slowed down crews were laid off until later. Later meant new crews that had no time to train unskilled workmen.
Just about all entry-trades learn on the job with minimum pay doing work that passes code. (Code = the worst work you can legally get away with)
Ask any homeowner what they want in construction - quality.
Fact is that very few can identify what quality is. They see a 5000.-- chandelier in a 22ft high front entry and they are wowed, quality construction! yeah, right. Squeaky stairs,drafty windows, poor trim, if it can be caulked it fits.
This industry is price driven. If it lasts a few years it is fine, lets move again, the (hopeful) appreciation will make us money.
You reap what you sow