Idaho’s Construction Industry Slogs Through Slow Growth

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Earlier this week Stateline wrote about signs of the construction industry turnaround. Their opening scene: downtown Boise.

“The corner of 8th and Main streets in downtown Boise, Idaho, was jokingly called “the hole” because it had been vacant since a 1987 fire there. No more. Construction began last summer on a new $60-million building that’s now the headquarters of Zions Bank. And a new $70-million convention center called Jack’s Urban Meeting Place is also on track to open in downtown Boise next year.” – Stateline

As Stateline reports, and we have too, Idaho’s construction industry took a nose dive during the recession. Idaho lost more than 40 percent of it’s construction jobs, and they have not been quick to rebound.

The Idaho Statesman reported this week, a recent construction industry survey finds companies don’t expect a surge in hiring this year.

“Most also predicted the construction market will grow starting in 2014 or later.

Between 42 percent and 67 percent of the construction industry members who answered an Associated General Contractors of America survey said they expect no change in the amount of project funding they’ll be able to compete for this year in high-demand areas like transportation, water and sewer, hospitals, education and public buildings.” – Idaho Statesman