Syracuse, NY – According to the Associated General Contractors of America, construction work in the state of New York increased by approximately 1,800 jobs last month. Although construction jobs in New York actually decreased by 1.6% since August of 2009, the recent spike in construction is promising for many workers.
As the economy continues to rebound from the recession, Syracuse Deputy Commisioner of Business Development Ben Walsh believes more and more people are willing to start construction projects that may have been delayed due to financial troubles.
“There were a lot of projects in the pipeline that were ready to go,” said Walsh. “They had their finances. When the bottom fell out of the economy, a lot of the banks backed out of their financing. But they were still viable projects.”
Business Development
The majority of new construction jobs throughout Central New York are geared towards business development. According to Stanley Dean, Regional Vice President of the Associated Builders and Contractors Union, there are two key areas for construction jobs.
“We call them ed’s and meds,” said Dean. “Education and hospitals. That is where most of our construction is.”
Walsh also believed that projects that were previous on hold are finally getting started.
“You’re seeing projects that are still good for the community,” said Walsh. “(They’re) Still good investments. And I think we’re starting to see some of those begin to get their footing and take off again.”
Personal Construction
Personal construction jobs have also seen a recent spike. Contractor John Marinelli said that his business is doing better than ever.
“My schedule has gone from being maybe six or eight or ten jobs a head to maybe… today I figured out we’re at 26 a head.”
However, Marinelli noticed that people are investing in different types of personal construction.
“People have been willing to spend money but in different areas,” said Marinelli. “Where new housing has gone down, people are saving their money and putting money into homes that they don’t have to put as much into to fix up.”
“I’ve noticed a lot more work that we’re doing is in residential remodeling. People are keeping what they have and making it fit their purpose.”
New Construction Projects
Marinelli noticed that personal construction jobs increase as the leaves continue to change.
“This is the time of year when things actually pick up, mostly because of procrastination,” said Marinelli. “People wait all summer and don’t get the work done all summer. The work picks up because they want to get it done before winter.”
Additionally, construction jobs throughout Central New York should continue to see a spike in the upcoming months. Several large scale projects are set to get underway including the newSyracuse University Law School and the expansion to the Carousel Center Mall.
Construction work is also underway on an addition to the Syracuse Veterans Hospital, a new Science Building and tennis courts at LeMoyne College, and a BioTech Center along Fayette Street.
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