Despite the continued shortage of qualified workers in 2018, companies are looking to continue adding more skilled labor jobs this year, according to a recent survey of over 1,300 contractors.
According to a Construction Dive article, 78% of respondents say they are having a hard time filling positions. More than two-thirds expect it will continue to be hard or become harder to hire personnel in the coming 12 months. Far more respondents listed worker shortages as the number-one concern for their firm than any other worry.
Staffing challenges are affecting project costs and completion times. One-third of respondents said costs were higher than expected, and a slightly higher share of firms is now putting higher prices into new bids or contracts. A third of firms experienced longer-than-anticipated completion times, and about one-fifth of firms are now quoting longer completion times in bids and contracts.