The Milwaukee Post

16 • Milwaukee County Post • January 23, 2015 By MATT MASTERSON Conley News Service MILWAUKEE — Nearly three- quarters of construction busi- nesses statewide increased their employee count last year and companies across the nation are predicting 2015 to be one of the biggest years for growth in the field in nearly a decade. The Associated General Contractors of America released its 2015 Construction Industry Hiring & Business Outlook on Wednesday, which shows most contractors are optimistic about the year ahead and are ready to expand, but must find the quali- fied employees to hire. "Eighty percent of firms report plans to expand their pay- rolls in 2015 while only 7 percent expect to reduce head counts — a net positive of 73 percent," said Stephen Sandherr, CEO of Associated General Contractors of America, during a conference call with media Wednesday. "If those predictions come true, industry employment could expand in 2015 by the most in a decade." Total employment in construc- tion businesses increased by 290,000 workers, or nearly 5 per- cent, and investments in con- struction rose by nearly 6 percent in the first 11 months of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013, according to Sandherr. In Wisconsin, 91 percent of the 22 companies in the state which took part in the survey said they expect an increase of between 1 and 25 percent in their head count in 2015. However, 86 per- cent of those same businesses reported having a hard time fill- ing professional and craft work- ing positions. And finding skilled and unskilled laborers is not expect- ed to get any easier anytime soon. A majority of responding com- panies reported they do not fore- see much of an improvement in hiring workers in 2015, as 90 per- cent said they expect it will con- tinue to be hard, or become even harder, to find and hire skilled craft workers. "Despite the overall optimism, some challenges remain for the industry," said Ken Simonson, the AGC's chief economist. "In particular, as construction firms continue to expand, they will continue to have a difficult time finding enough skilled construc- tion workers." Simonsen said 87 percent of contacted companies nationwide are having a tough time filling key professional and craft worker positions. Three quarters of the firms that are hiring report hav- ing trouble finding qualified craft workers, while 62 percent say the same about professional positions such as project man- agers, supervisors and estima- tors. Despite that trouble finding the right workers, compensation levels appear to be rising and a majority of businesses expect to dole out more in health care in 2015. AGC members and officials plan to continue pushing for action on the measures outlined in its Workforce Development Plan and look to lobby President Barack Obama's administration to rethink its current regulatory approach. "With a little luck and a lot of effort, we will make sure the con- struction industry has the sup- port it needs to continue expand- ing in 2015 and beyond," Sandherr said. The Outlook was based on sur- vey results from over 900 con- struction firms from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Contact Matt Masterson mmasterson@conleynet.com State construction eyeing big year in 2015 91 percent to businesses expect to increase staff size this year Submitted photo Construction should be poised for a big year in 2015, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. President Obama has proposed providing free tuition to students who attend community colleges at least half-time and maintain a 2.5 grade-point average. Could this work? "This is just another Obama gift. Fifty per- cent of our minority students in the cities aren't graduating. Our world standing in educaton is falling. Fix the system first. Fix the attitude first. Don't waste more money. — Noah Borkenhagen Franklin Editor's note:The following is a response from last week's question on the Milwaukee Bucks' proposed arena: "Let's look at it this way. The Bucks are a privately owned corporation.The Bradley Center, is the factory building where they conduct their business. Other than man- agement and the obviously the players, none of the jobs at the Bradley Center are decent, family-sustaining jobs. As an example, lets say Rockwell Automation came along and asked for the public to donate funds so that they could build themselves a brand-new factory building to conduct their business in. What would your answer be then? If you are any busi- ness owner, you are responsible to rent or build a building where you will conduct your business. Nobody gives small busi- nesses free buildings, why should we give it to big business? — Earl Schlueter Milwaukee This week's question Should Oak Creek build a new baseball stadium? Editor's note: When responding to the Question of the Week, please include your full name with spelling, phone number and city where you live. Phone numbers will not be published. Anonymous responses are no longer accepted by the publication. Call 744- 6370, Ext. 15 and leave a brief answer. Readers may also send an email with a brief answer to: dbutler@conleynet.com. Question of the week Post Staff MILWAUKEE — Gen. Mitchell International Airport announced it is seeking volunteers to serve with Travelers Aid at the airport's information desk. The airport is looking for volunteers who are available Saturday evenings, Sunday afternoons or Monday evenings. Interested persons can find out more by visiting www.mitchellairport.com/air- port-infor mation/volunteer-opportuni- ties/. Submitted photo Airport seeks volunteers at information desk

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