Things To Do In SW Florida

Although it seems to be a growth in construction jobs, is there a chance construction jobs can be taken away? From robots? Sounds like fantasy, huh? However, with growing technology, this isn’t really a sci-fi story anymore… it’s now our reality. According to a study done by the Midwest Economic Policy Institute, they estimate robots could either replace or displace 2.7 million jobs in construction by 2057.

Operating engineers have a high rate (88%) for the potential of going automation. Many companies are investing in technology that will make automation possible. Such companies include: CAT, Komatsu, Volvo CE. Roofers have the smallest potential for automation, as well as construction laborers and sheet metal workers. Certain takes just can’t be done by robots due to unpredictable and changing environments.

Overall, it’s predicted that only 5% of contractor-based jobs have the potential to be completely replaced by robots. Although many new jobs were added in construction in the past few years, there still is a labor shortage. The younger generations are not filling in the employment gaps from the older generations leaving and/or retiring. read more

Contracting is a great industry to get into right now. There’s a shortage of workers and a lot of job openings. Natural disasters, unfortunately occurred, but have made new work for contractors to do across many states in the United States. Growth is occurring, so man power is needed. Thinking about a career as a contractor? There’s so many specialties within this field. You should choose the field that interests you, and also you feel you have a good skillset for.

For this article, we wanted to focus on building contractors, and how to get a certified Florida building contractor’s license.

What is a building contractor?  A building contractor “means a contractor whose services are limited to construction of commercial buildings and single-dwelling or multiple-dwelling residential buildings, which do not exceed three stories in height, and accessory use structures in connection therewith or a contractor whose services are limited to remodeling, repair, or improvement of any size building if the services do not affect the structural members of the building.” read more

As long as there’s pipes, there will be plumbers. If you’re thinking about a career in the contracting world, plumbing is a challenging, rewarding, and safe bet.

There are a lot of plumbers out there. In 2014, there were 425,000 plumbers working across the United States. How can you stand out against the competition? What can you do to make a name for yourself in the plumbing business?

For this article, we wanted to share some tips/things to think about when it comes to being good plumber.

Show pride and excitement for your work. Clients notice.

Communicate effectively and often with clients.

Be a salesman. Whether you work for yourself or plumbing business, sell yourself and skills! Lots of people need a good plumber at some point, and if they have your info handy, they can turn to you in their time of need. Actively market/sell your business or your own skills.

Don’t rely on others to find business for you.

Charge your customers fairly so you can make a profit, buy the best equipment, and grow your company.

Give your customers a flat rate with your services; if you leave your prices open-ended, they may think you’re too expensive.

Hire the best quality people and workers for your team. They will help you keep current clients and expand your clients.

Hire people with vast skillsets. Maybe if you can’t do something, someone else can! So now, your business can provide more services for people.

Look professional.

Drive vehicles with your name/contact info or company name/info on it. You’ll be a moving billboard.

Keep up with your skills and knowledge with frequent trainings. Take courses in finance, marketing, management and more to help you run your business.

Belong to trade associations and national organizations.

Be involved with the community.

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Good news for our contractor community. In December, construction unemployment rates were down across 46 states. This was actually the country’s lowest rate of unemployment ever.

 

Compared to December 2016, the construction industry employed 250,000 more workers.

 

Why is this increase occurring? More work equals more employment. Unfortunately, a lot of the increases are due to natural disasters that happened in 2017 including hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. Contractors are needed all over the country.

 

There were 6 states with highest unemployment rates included New Mexico, Rhode Island, Alaska, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. From lowest to highest, the top 5 states for construction unemployment rates were: Hawaii, Colorado, Massachusetts, Virginia, (Georgia, South Carolina and Texas tied for fifth).

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How is the career outlook looking for general contractors? On average, there’s supposed to be a 5 % job growth increase from now till 2024.

 

Construction spending is predicted to stay strong in 2018. According to ConstructConnect, the construction forecast for 2018 is a 4.8% increase. Commercial construction (offices, garages) is expected to grow 12.4% and continue to grow through 2021. Warehouses and factories is expected to decrease starting this year by 5.6%. Retail is expected to decline around 2.8% this year. read more

Being a good contractor isn’t just about your skillset (with your hands) or your contractor’s license, it’s your ability to communicate effectively with clients. Without your customers, you have no job! It isn’t just the face-to-face communication that is important, it’s the phone calls, emails and other messages that customers judge your communication skills on.

If a customer calls your contractor business to inquire about your work and that initial call was a bad experience for them, he or she probably won’t pursue working with you further. Statistically, if a customer has a good phone experience with you, there’s an 80% they will be a repeat customer. If it’s a bad phone experience, 74% of people will look for another contractor.

You want to be available to your customers as much as possible; however, this can be tough if you have a small team. Everyone is busy doing their jobs and manning the phones 24/7 may not be possible. If this is case, you may want to think about hiring a receptionist or a remote receptionist to help provide quality service to your customers, whether they’re old or new. Also, you won’t have to stop being productive in your work for every phone call. read more