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As construction work ramps up heading into summer, the shortage of skilled labor is clearly affecting the industry. Labor costs are rising, apprenticeship programs are gaining attention, project schedules are taking hits and contractors are increasingly tapping union labor pools.

“We’re definitely seeing the impact of a workforce shortage in a pretty significant way,” said Tom Gerding, owner of Gerding Builders LLC in Corvallis. “We began seeing it last summer, but now in the past several months it seems to be that much more pronounced.”

Subcontractors are charging more for labor, and fewer are submitting bids than in the past, he said.

“We have a need for 40 framers – that’s predicated on six crews,” he said. “Now, we only have 25 framers on three crews. The result is the ability to be working on a number of areas is diminished. That impacts the schedule as well.”

The industry saw a mass exodus of skilled laborers during the economic downturn and now is facing a wave of retirements, said Max Murphy, regional manager for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters – the industry’s largest union, with approximately 6,000 members in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

“Really, what we’re up against is that over the last three years a lot of folks found new careers outside of construction … and they’re not coming back,” he said. “Within the next five years, the baby boomers will have completely left the workforce. Those are the guys with all the experience running things.”

Contractors are frequently calling the union looking for skilled laborers, Murphy said.

“What I’m telling them is that we have to develop them from within,” he said. “They’re not on the streets.”

During the recession, construction lost a greater percentage of its labor force than any other industry in the state lost, according to a March report issued by the Oregon Employment Department. But it’s expecting construction to need 18,000 more workers by 2022.

“If you’re looking for fill-in workers this summer, you’re already behind the game,” said Stephen Simms, administrator for the Bureau of Labor and Industries‘ . “If you’re not already actively involved in an apprenticeship program, it’s time to get involved.”

The ages of apprentices are generally older now than before the recession because fewer young workers are moving into the trades, said Andrew Dykeman, project manager for Lease Crutcher Lewis. The firm is trying to grow its apprenticeship ranks, carrying two apprentices for every four journeyman carpenters. Previously, that ratio was one to three, he said.

“Everyone in the industry is driving to build higher apprenticeship rates because you want to build a long-lasting workforce,” he said.

Portland-based TCM Corp. is speaking with unions around the country to find workers for upcoming projects, said Gordon Harvey, a sheet metal labor superintendent. The issue is actually worse in other parts of the U.S., he said.

“Everyone’s aware based on what happens in the next couple of months that we could see a labor shortage,” he said. “We’re getting into the construction season, and some of the work we have talked about in the last couple of months is coming to fruition.”

Another subcontractor, Portland-based Electrical Construction Co., also is struggling to find qualified workers, said Todd Coffman, vice president of construction.

“We just don’t see a lot of young people gravitating toward the subcontractor field,” he said.

EC Co. this summer is adding four Oregon State University interns, Coffman said.

Salem-based Cascade Interiors this year is hiring union workers for the first time, in anticipation of a flood of projects.

“We were just waiting for the economy to turn around – we knew it would eventually,” owner Ken Koebel said. “So many people left. Now, we’re gearing back up.”

The company has 16 carpenters, drywall installers and finishers, but Koebel looking to double the size of that crew over the next month. He has contracts for roughly 4 million board feet of drywall to hang in the next 10 months, so he plans to have 50 employees by midsummer.

Safety for old and new

Companies need to step up their training to , said Steve Malany, president of P&C Construction and board chairman of Associated General Contractors’ Oregon-Columbia chapter.

Safety is a significant issue for newcomers, particularly those trying to impress their bosses via speed, Malany said. Extra training is critical, he said, so that those workers understand all jobsite requirements.

“We’re just that much more diligent,” he said. “We don’t need quick – we need safe.”

Older workers who return to the industry also need extra safety considerations, said Gordon Harvey, sheet metal labor superintendent for Portland-based TCM Corp. They may require tailored tasks or more realistic expectations over the first four or five weeks, he said.

“During orientation, we talk about atrophy and try and ease people back into the workplace,” he said. “They need time to try and get back in shape.” – Jeff McDonald