HOLTS SUMMIT — Local builders Brice Ready and Scott Perkins are grappling with the ongoing challenge of finding construction workers, a problem they attribute to a shortage in the workforce.

“Ten, 15 years ago, I had six (employees) and around about that,” said Ready, owner of Ready Construction. “The last few years I haven’t been able to find as many, so I’ve sent more stuff out than before.”

Perkins, owner of Scott’s Home Solutions, echoed the sentiment: “Yes, yes all the time to be honest with you. Looking for workers all the time. It’s just hard to find right now.”

Both Ready and Perkins, who have decades of experience in the industry, have witnessed a notable shift in the availability of skilled labor.

“It’ll be easier to tell you how many years I haven’t been in it than for how many I have,” Ready said. Perkins added, “I got started back when I was younger... and it took off from there.”

Despite the demand for construction workers, the industry has faced a steady decline in worker availability. According to the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the construction sector needed an estimated 342,000 additional workers in 2024 to meet demand.

While job openings in 2022 reached record highs, surpassing 390,000 per month, job openings in late 2024 saw a nearly 40% decrease from the year prior. The unemployment rate for the industry stood at 4.6% in November, a slight decrease from 4.8% the year before.

Ready has seen firsthand the effect of the worker shortage. “I typically don’t have anymore. I have a few here and there that come to help me,” he said. For over 30 years, Ready has been working solo in the home-building business, but he admits the lack of workers has slowed his ability to complete projects as quickly as before.

“There’s delays in about anything — all it takes is about one sub to take the time off of everybody else,” Ready explained. “So when that falls behind, the next guy might move on to the next project, and then you have to wait again.”

Lisa Lehman, president of the Home Builders Association of Central Missouri, pointed out that fewer workers also means slower home-building processes. “It takes a lot longer to get that house built because fewer employees means longer hours,” she said. “We can’t keep up with the demand with people wanting to buy houses.”

Perkins agreed, noting the strain it places on workers. “It puts more stress on us,” he said. The lack of manpower also means Perkins has to handle paperwork and bidding after hours, further contributing to the pressure.

The National Center for Construction Education and Research has highlighted another risk: safety concerns. A shortage of workers can lead to oversight in safety checks and quality control, increasing the potential for injuries and accidents on the job.

The shortage is also taking a toll on workers' personal lives. “It cuts down on family life and everything, spending time with the family,” Perkins added.

In an effort to address the shortage, Perkins has turned to social media platforms like Facebook and job sites such as Indeed to find workers. However, these efforts often yield limited responses.

Lehman noted that recruiting for the construction industry may become even more challenging as the average age of workers rises. “The demand is a lot higher than the supply of employees available to them, and the builder on average is getting older,” Lehman said.

Despite these challenges, Perkins remains optimistic about continuing to deliver high-quality work. “It’s still the same quality work and everything on it," he said. "It just puts a little bit more pressure on you trying to get it done quicker."

Ready, however, holds hope for the future, citing the growing interest from younger generations entering the workforce. “Yes, there’s a large demand for it,” Ready said. “The Build My Future program has brought a lot of kids out... I think it’s going to be a pretty good future from now on.”