Skilled Labor Shortfall Could Complicate North America's Emergence from Recession

As the North American economy continues to grow slowly, industrial project owners are cautiously releasing capital and maintenance spending dollars, which likely will translate into increased demand for skilled craft labor like boilermakers, millwrights and pipefitters. An IIR tool, the Manpower Market Analyzer, is being used by cost estimators and construction managers to track demand for skilled craft labor in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) across North America. This tool helps organizations better estimate the cost for labor in different MSAs, while alerting them to potential supply-demand imbalances that could delay projects or cause costs to escalate.