Construction is booming in states like Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.
Employment in the construction industry is booming across the country, growing by more than 250,000 workers since last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Arizona is one of the states experiencing the largest growth, and the Phoenix metro area alone had one of the highest employment rates in the construction industry in 2023, the BLS reported.
Austin McCabe, who worked as an electrician for about a year before losing his job, is one of many construction newcomers.
McCabe said he knew he wanted to do something with his hands, and he needed a job that would help him get his high school diploma and a driver’s license, which initially landed him in Job Corps, but in eventually led him to his current job as an intern at DPR Construction.
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Austin McCabe was employed by Job Corps before joining DPR Construction as an intern. (Sunny Tsai/Fox Business)
“I learned about Job Corps, which offers both,” McCabe said. “They give you training, make you graduate from high school and get a new driver’s license, which I still needed at the time.”
McCabe completed a new partnership program between Job Corps and DPR Construction that gives people hands-on experience in the industry.
“I was still part of the Job Corps when I first joined DPR. So, like a six-week entry. Then – DPR – they liked what I was doing when I was working [at Job Corps]so they hired me full time,” he said.
DPR Construction and Job Corps launched their partnership program last year and are already preparing for the third class of construction workers.
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Two DPR Construction employees work on site. (Sunny Tsai/Fox Business)
Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, was the fourth fastest growing county in America last year and is not only experiencing population growth, but a construction boom.
Gretchen Kinsella, head of DPR Construction’s Arizona Business Unit, said the Phoenix metro area has been considered the “Electric Valley” because many new companies are moving into the area with a focus on “building a new industry.”
“There is no line of sight to the lack of need in our industry when it comes to a professional and skilled workforce… and with all the work in the valley, we are continuing to connect and partner with organizations that support workforce development – Job Corps is one of them,” Kinsella said.
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DPR Construction and Job Corps are preparing for the third class of construction workers since starting a partnership program last year. (Sunny Tsai/Fox Business)
Kinsella specifically highlighted chip manufacturing, and the supply chain that comes with it, as a “huge opportunity” for the Phoenix metro area.
She said another great opportunity being created in the area is the ability to “get people into the trades and help them understand that construction is a career that you can absolutely be successful at.”
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The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity estimates there will be about 40,000 jobs and new construction within the state by 2031.
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