Construction Unemployment High, Businesses Shifting to Other Markets

[ChrWright]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20091109/BUSINESS/911090306/1003/BUSINESS/Construction+industry+slow+to+rebuild+in+Central+I ndiana

17% unemployment in construction is a steep number.

Competition. Get used to it in the coming year. In addition to the new construction people coming over, we'll also have a lot of commercial folks looking to shift for survival.

[Silvertree]

Your advantage will be knowing where to network and where to advertise. The competition for the most part will be wandering around trying to find their niche.

Some of the new competition will know exactly where to spend advertising dollars and they will also be able to hire capable and experienced laid off remodeling professionals.

The times they are a changing!

[J F]

And don't forget to add to the 17% unemployment, all the guys that suddenly become "contractors" due other categories of unemployment, so yeah, definitely lots more people trying to get a piece of the shrunken pie at this time.

I agree with paul, that the advantage that anyone has as an established entity will help tremendously when it comes to dealing with all the new yo-yo's.......except when it comes to CL of course...:rolleyes3:

[Absolute Basements]

If we could only get that 17% number up to about 65-70%, where it belongs, the remaining 30-35% should be the qualified people like us and employees we would like to hire.
3 years ago I had a 20 something kid apply and tell me he was a "master trim carpenter". I asked him how he preferrs to cope stained crown. He replies, I've only done crown once, and it was painted, and the painter caulked it, and complimented me on how tight my joints were.
Come to find out, he had 2 yrs. with a high volume production builder running 3 1/4" painted base, and that was the extent of his "master" credentials.
Saw him the other day, guess what? He drives a cab now.
If you are good at what you do, and I believe most here are, from what I have observed, don't be afraid of the numbers quoted. I'll bet 89% of the 17% unemployed were never qualified to begin with.
Darren