Construction Workers Get Upper Hand in Labor Shortage
Construction companies continue the struggle to fully staff projects. The skilled labor shortage is giving workers the edge in busy markets such as Houston, but quieter areas are also short-staffed. How bad is it? Camden Property Trust, a Houston-based apartment developer has recently started putting guards on job sites to keep its workers from being poached by competitors willing to pay more, explains Nancy Sarnoff, a reporter for the Houston Chronicle. Camden’s CEO Ric Campo said, “We’ve had specific instances where people would come on site and try to round up workers. During the World Cup, we actually put big screens on our sites to get people to stay.” Sarnoff writes the labor shortage is leading to significant delays and cost overruns.
