The Dallas federal Reserve says Austin saw a boost in construction jobs from February to May.
But more is still needed according to the the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin’s David Glenn. He explained, local builders have been hurting for workers even more so since, Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast offering repair and construction work across the spectrum.
He said lack of interest is the Trades by younger folks is prevalent, noting the average age for Plumbers and electricians are in the 50s.
This all comes at a time when Austin City Council is hashing out it new land development code where they are hoping to increase the number of affordable and attainable homes. Glenn defines affordable as a home anyone can afford while attainable mean homes that are priced and built primarily for skilled trades workers, teachers, firefighters and those in law enforcement.
He said since the metro area’s median home price has reached new heights as of late, this is also impacting the trades’ talent pool by pricing them out of the area. Glenn said while its good and right for the council to work towards more homes, it hasn’t been hashed out just yet who and how they’ll get built with a limited workforce in place
(Photo:Shutterstock/karamysh)
