ST. GEORGE — According to a recent report, builders are struggling to find the professionals they need to keep up with the growing construction industry nationwide.
According to software research company Construction Coverage, one national trade association recently forecast that an estimated 501,000 construction professionals will be needed in the industry this year, plus an additional 454,000 in 2025.
“This is good news for many experienced construction professionals, who can command higher wages or improved benefits since their skills are in high demand,” the research states. “And those looking to make a career switch can currently find ample opportunity for entry-level jobs in construction.”
To identify the most popular construction jobs, Construction Coverage researchers ranked 57 construction occupations based on their share of total construction employment.
Nationally, construction laborers, electricians and carpenters are among the most popular occupations, accounting for 16%, 11.4%, and 11% of total construction employment.
Lower-paying construction occupations, or helper roles in roofing, painting and carpentry, earn a national median annual wage between $37,000 and $40,000.
“However, it’s worth noting that these occupations pay better than many roles outside of the construction industry with similar educational requirements,” the research continued.
Construction Coverage concluded that general laborers receive slightly higher than the national median annual wage within the St. George metropolitan area.
Top five construction jobs, St. George metro:
- General laborers — $44,650 median annual wage
- Carpenters — $47,810 median annual wage
- Masonry and concrete — $49,470 median annual wage
- Electricians — $55,380 median annual wage
- Supervisors and extraction — $62,180 median annual wage
Heavy construction activities such as asphalt and concrete services are also experiencing periodic spikes throughout Utah.
Dusty Fenwick, director of human resources for Sunroc, told St. George News the current hiring situation in the aggregate industry tends to “ebb and flow.”
“If we land a new, big job, we’re typically understaffed and have to ramp up,” he said. “But for the most part, we’ve been fairly well-staffed this year and last.”
Fenwick said Sunroc’s signs advertising “now hiring” on many job sites throughout Southern Utah are geared more toward general laborers.
“We have regular turnover in our general laborer position, so we want to capture anybody interested,” he said. “We can’t let recruiting cease or we’ll be playing catch up.”
Fenwick added that another reason for advertising is the difficulty the construction industry faces in hiring seasoned, experienced employees. Essentially, all construction companies in the area are going after the same skilled employees.
“Construction workers tend to stay where they’re at, as reflected by our own retention of such experienced employees,” Fenwick said. “However, we want people in this capacity to know we’re hiring in case they consider a change.”
Like the national research, general laborer is the most common position filled at Sunroc, a Clyde Company.
Nate McDonald, director of community relations at Clyde Companies, Inc., said prospective employees should be prepared for strenuous labor and working outdoors.
“We typically invest in training our laborers to be operators, which is great for career development but difficult for immediate ramp-up situations,” he said. “Since we are usually focused on general labor, we look for reliability, eagerness to learn, a willingness to do hard work in all sorts of weather and a positive attitude — everything else we can teach.”
Applicants with skills related to the industry can earn higher competitive wages, Fenwick said. The more successful construction companies develop laborers into operators based level of experience and willingness to learn.
“We are very clear about the ‘hard work, hard weather’ message, but we also try not to scare people away, ” Fenwick said. “Sunroc is really informative at the beginning of the hiring process so the employees know what to expect. But we also talk to new hires about career paths, growing opportunities, training, benefits and rising compensation in the industry.”
Fenwick said one positive aspect of working in Washington County weather is the ability to work outdoors during the seasons that are not summer.
“Our St. George areas operate all year long, whereas Sunroc’s northern operations will need to furlough people during the cold season,” he said. “This is an advantage to our workers who want steady work all year.”
Utah Department of Workforce Services Chief Economist Ben Crabb said the overall increase in employment numbers statewide is partially due to construction activities.
Utah’s non-farm payroll employment for the month of May 2024 increased an estimated 2.2% in the last year, with all employers adding a cumulative 38,100 jobs since May 2023.
“Strong job gains in manufacturing and construction, along with hiring in the public sector, have helped maintain solid overall job growth,” Crabb said.
According to the latest data from the Utah Department of Workforce Services, Utah employers added 6,500 new construction jobs and 4,000 manufacturing employees in the past 12 months.
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