Strong fundamentals: As cranes dot the skyline, all signs point to strong and continuous growth, although COVID-19 has raised the specter of uncertainty It’s a good sign for construction when the skyline is dotted with cranes. In Tampa Bay, cranes are numerous, reflecting the increase in construction spending and development across the region. The increase in construction activity is also reflected in the number of new jobs created in 2019, which in itself is also posing a significant challenge: finding qualified workers to fill those jobs. By early April, state and county authorities had not yet stopped construction in the wake of COVID-19, although some communities had taken measures themselves. Rather, efforts to impose social distancing at construction sites were in place, although a continued spread of the virus would no doubt impact the sector moving forward. Sector performance National construction spending for 2019 totaled $1.3 trillion, 0.3% below 2018 and the weakest level since 2011. But the value of public construction last year grew 7.1% on 2018, to $328.8 billion and educational construction 3.4% higher to $79.0 billion. In terms of job growth, The Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region tied for tops in Florida and 11th in the nation, with a 10% gain in jobs to 85,000 in 2019, the same percentage rise as Palm 72 | Invest: Tampa Bay 2020 | CONSTRUCTION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, according to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA). Although jobs growth, and the continued low unemployment rate, are sure signs of a strong economy and sector, they are also a challenge. Despite the number of construction workers growing more than 28 percent from 2014 to 2019, Tampa still faces a labor shortage, according to CBRE. The shortfall of qualified construction sector workers has pushed labor costs up further, causing delays to many projects. Academia is an integral part of the labor solution for many businesses in the construction sector. Many believe the job of educating an appropriate workforce is getting done. “We used to have to attract from three schools, the University of Florida, University of Miami and FAMU, and none of those are really close to the Tampa area,” said Ward Friszolowski, president of architecture firm Harvard Jolly, to Invest:. “We used to have to not only travel to recruit students but also convince these students to relocate to Tampa Bay, which was traditionally a retirement area. Now, it’s not taking a lot of effort to convince people that St. Pete is the place to come and live as a graduate, and also a lot of the talent is right here in the area. This is often overlooked, but
