Builders Experiencing More Labor Shortage Incidents in 2018

The shortage of available laborers and subcontractors in home building got worse in July 2018, according to new survey data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Between direct hire labor and subcontractors, builders have experienced shortages of the latter more frequently, per the NAHB. For 13 out of the 15 occupations listed in the survey for both direct hires and subcontractors, shortages for subcontractors were between four and nine percent more frequent. The highest share of shortage incidents in the data was for subcontractors for rough carpentry work at 90 percent, the first time any labor or subcontractor shortage has hit that level in the NAHB survey.

The July 2018 survey asked builders about shortages in 15 specific occupations that were either recommended by Home Builders Institute or other key stakeholders. Shortages of labor directly employed by builders were at least fairly widespread for each of the 15 occupations, ranging from a low of 47 percent for building maintenance managers to a high of 83 percent for rough carpenters.

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