Labor pains: building surge leaves contractors Scrambling for workers.

• Position: REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP

CRANES DOTTING THE SKYLINE are a sure sign that Colorado's construction industry and overarching economy is improving from the devastation of the 2007-2009 recession. But the newfound challenge contractors are facing is finding skilled laborers to build their projects.

Big developments like the renovation of Denver Union Station, Denver International Airport's new hotel and transit center, as well as countless multifamily projects and office buildings, are exhausting the labor force. That --and the fact that many skilled laborers left the industry to work in oil and gas fields or relocated to find opportunities in other markets--has forced the postponement of many projects and increased the cost of others, including the South Terminal Redevelopment Program at DIA.

"It takes longer because it's hard to find good contractors who have a crew available in the next six months," said Michael Gifford, president and chief executive of the Colorado chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). "Folks are having a really hard time finding additional employees."

The national unemployment rate, specifically in construction, dropped to its lowest level in seven years this April. Contractors added 32,000 workers to payrolls, bringing industry employment to 6 million, the highest level since June 2009, according to an AGC analysis of government data. As of April, the national unemployment rate for construction workers actively seeking jobs declined from 13.2 percent a year ago to 9.4 percent.

Construction companies added jobs in 38 states over the last year, according to the AGC. In Colorado, there were 666,000 construction jobs in March, a nearly 6 percent increase over the 628,900 jobs in the state during the same month last year--putting it ninth among states for construction-employment gains.

Greeley experienced a 17 percent increase between February 2013 and the same month this year--the largest percent increase among the 19 cities nationwide that hit a new February construction employment high. Grand Junction's construction employment increased 11 percent, from 5,600 jobs in February of last year to 6,200 during the same month this year.

While that's good news for job hunters, it's raising concerns among contractors looking for skilled laborers to build their projects--especially in the booming multifamily segment where it's difficult to find craftspeople in specific trades such as drywalling and wood framing.

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