Regarding the Construction Labor Shortage in Detroit

**313WX** · March-11-20, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Vitalis

Back in 1977, I was working the first of several jobs I would get at the Renaissance Center. I had met a crane operator who was from Georgia. He had driven his motor home north to take a job erecting the steel in the original five towers. Skilled work, excellent wages, no rent [[he was allowed to park his motor home on a lot where the east parking structure now stands.) When all the steel was finally in place, he switched seats [[literally) and sat all day running the freight elevator in Tower 300, until Ford moved in. Then he vanished. Presumably onto the next job. I'm wondering if there has been an influx of workers from other states into the Metro area in the recent past? I ask because of the reported slow down [[due to many factors) in construction or the halt to some projects. If labor is the concern, and construction firms can't fill quotas with Detroit residents, are they reaching out across the country?

Skilled construction labor has "pick of the litter" right now in terms of locations they can choose to migrate to and settle in. When you have so many sunbelt cities growing at a break neck pace, convincing folks to come to the snow belt is going to be a hard sell.

The Detroit area may well have been an "IT" market back in 1977 compared to [[at the time) backwater Georgia, but in 2020 [[being a stagnant growth region centered around an industry in secular decline), it's a different story.

**Luke09** · March-11-20, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Skilled construction labor has "pick of the litter" right now in terms of locations they can choose to migrate to and settle in. When you have so many sunbelt cities growing at a break neck pace, convincing folks to come to the snow belt is going to be a hard sell.

The Detroit area may well have been an "IT" market back in 1977 compared to [[at the time) backwater Georgia, but in 2020 [[being a stagnant growth region centered around an industry in secular decline), it's a different story.

Metro Detroit is a top 5 market nationwide for financial services and top 10 for technology.