Single-family residential building permits surged into the second quarter of 2020, said Brian Miller, Executive Vice President of the Building Industry Association. And so did residential remodeling.
“Early on during the onset of the pandemic, remodeling stalled as those with preexisting conditions and elder members of their family living at home pushed off projects,” Miller said. “The industry realigned, rescheduled and moved projects that didn’t have those concerns into the work schedule as the industry quickly adapted to the current situations.”
BIA is still concerned about the near future for commercial and industrial projects as over 60 percent of the commercial investment in the market is directly tied to the Amazon International Hub project.
“If the Amazon Hub projects were not occurring, we would have seen a decline of about a third of what we have experienced in that sector of our construction industry. By factoring in the Amazon projects, we have seen an increase of over $266 million year over year.”
That commercial/industrial construction sector is centralized around one operation is cause for concern, he said, and time will tell as disruptions with retail and the hospitality industry continue.
“We are confident that like most recessions, the construction industry will once again lead us out and is showing strong signs of doing just that one month into the pandemic shutdowns. Nationwide construction firms are hiring and adding hundreds of thousands of employees to payrolls. For those industries hardest hit like hospitality, transportation, and entertainment, now is an important time to investigate careers in the construction industry.
“While others were sheltered at home, our industry was busy building homes, businesses, and commercial and industrial buildings. Deemed an essential service, the professionals in our industry complied with protocols and to this date have seen extremely low levels of exposure to the virus.”
The men and women in the building industry have been working and increasing hours and compensation during a time of downturn for service sector-based jobs.
“We would encourage anyone who needs a career that pays somewhere between $40,000 to north of $60,000 per year to contact us at our Enzweiler Building Institute,” Miller said.
Courses begin for adults in early September in the evenings so people can work during the day and begin on a career with no college debt.
The mission of the Building Industry Association of Northern Kentucky is to promote and enhance the integrity and visibility of the construction industry and the members of the organization through advocacy, communication, education, and political action. For more information about the Enzweiler Building Institute, visit the website or call (859) 640-4294.
2020 Q1 Permit Data
