Local columnist tells the Tennessean that Construction brings opportunities in the Trades
Steve Van De Voorde, a local writer, columnist, and general manager of Van De Voorde Electric, LLC, recently wrote a column for the Tennessean discussing how growth in business construction equal opportunity for everyone.
Read the column HERE. It’s a great read.
From the column by Steve Van De Voorde and Beth Duffield:
Titans Construction Training Camp is a pathway to careers in the trades.
Although some jobs in construction involve plenty of manual labor, the field has expanded for new generation of tradespeople. Go Build Tennessee has a portion of its website dedicated to all the construction career paths available where anyone can learn about different careers, take career quiz, and find nearby training. Careers in the trades include electricians, brick masons crane operators, equipment operators, iron workers, and even those operating drones and doing design-focused work.
With those thoughts in mind, can the same be said for the Upper Cumberland and smaller construction jobs throughout the state? I think so. The numbers statewide tell the same story. Every week, the State of Tennessee and the Upper Cumberland grow. Companies expand and grow, new companies come and go, and those jobs are often the lifeblood of a vibrant economy. According to a new report by the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee’s economy is expected to have more stable growth and expand faster than the rest of the nation in 2025.
The 2025 Economic Report (Report), using data available through the second quarter of 2024, projects Tennessee’s economy will “experience faster growth in 2025.”
“This is largely driven by timing, as Tennessee’s economy recovered much more quickly from the pandemic and is therefore stabilizing sooner as well,” said Larry Kessler, research associate professor at the Boyd Center and project director.
In Putnam County, for example, construction numbers have been strong. In January, 24 permits for $5.5 million construction were submitted. 16 of which were for new single-family residential homes, according to Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter.
Those numbers were up year-over-year, with January having 22 permits for $3.9 million. December 2024 saw 22 permits worth $5.4M of construction.
“Total spending in 2024 amounted to $942.7 billion,” according to the report.” The fourth quarter of the year was underwhelming with total spending of just $202 billion, representing a decline of 18.5% from 4Q2023 spending.”
With construction growth comes jobs, but there can also be growing pains. The report shows job growth across Tennessee will remain positive but will have smaller than expected gains as the state’s economy cools in the new year. That could make it more challenging for job seekers to find work.
“That change could lead to an increase in Tennessee’s unemployment rate. After reaching an all-time low of 3% in the summer of 2024, the state’s unemployment rate is projected to rise to an annual average of 3.3% in 2025 and 3.4% in 2026,” according to the report.
As construction ends on facilities like Ford’s EV battery manufacturing complex in West Tennessee, Orano’s uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, and the new Tennessee Titans stadium in Nashville, “strong and sustained growth” in wages and salaries are expected.
With that growth, personal income is also expected to increase by 6.1% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025 with faster than average job growth expected in many Tennessee’s sectors, including construction, which will grow 3.3% in the state compared to 1.8% nationally.
“In the last year, as companies continue to automate, we are seeing higher investment amounts per project, but fewer jobs committed. However, these new jobs are also bringing higher wages,” said Stuart C. McWhorter, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. “With the recent announcement and multi-billion-dollar investment from Orano, we believe that Tennessee will continue to attract additional R&D and nuclear investment to the state, and we stand ready to support new and innovative companies that pair well with our skilled workforce, strong business climate and exceptional quality of life.”
That’s all great news for the Tennessee workforce. With growth comes construction, and with construction comes jobs. It’s circular, and TN is no exception to that rule.
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