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In 2020, chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. found the perfect site for its next generation $40 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in the middle of Arizona\u2019s Silicon Desert.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But three years later, the Taiwanese chipmaker is <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>struggling to find workers<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> to go with it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Turns out, TSMC isn\u2019t alone.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As billions in both public and private money flow into onshoring construction, labor shortages threaten to derail both the manufacturing boom and other construction activity in those hubs, according to industry sources.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Certain states \u2014 Arizona, Ohio, New York and Texas, to name a few \u2014 are rapidly becoming <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>centers of manufacturing<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> in the U.S. That centralization is putting great strain on the construction workforces in those communities, said Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n [<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>See <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Construction Dive\u2019s tracker<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> of the largest manufacturing projects in the country.<\/span><\/em>]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThese projects are enormous, which means there is an outsized demand for subcontractors and workers,\u201d Basu told Construction Dive. \u201cJust trying to amass that much talent at one time in one place is very expensive.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Anirban Basu<\/p>\n Permission granted by ABC<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n That\u2019s because many of the skills needed to build an EV battery plant, for example, overlap with some of the same trades in demand to build other projects in the manufacturing space, like semiconductor facilities, said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives at Associated General Contractors of America. In other words, megaprojects in these areas are competing for the same labor, which is already scarce.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMany of our members with auto manufacturing and semiconductor construction are struggling to find enough workers to meet very aggressive timelines,\u201d said Turmail. \u201cThere\u2019s enormous pressure to get these plants built.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Multibillion-dollar manufacturing projects require special construction techniques including sophisticated electrical work and the need for \u201chyper clean spaces” that differ from typical construction projects, said Turmail. These facilities must be protected by changes in air pressure to keep particulates out of rooms, which adds another layer of complexity for contractors.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Many of these structures must also be resistant to vibration and other environmental factors, said Basu.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some projects, particularly for General Motors, Stellantis and Ford, the three largest car manufacturers in North America, carry additional union worker requirements as well, said Turmail. That further limits the pool of workers available.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For instance, Ford announced in February a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>$3.5 billion investment<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> to build an EV battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, as part of an overall $50 billion effort to grow its EV business by 2026. General Motors in January announced a near <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>$1 billion investment<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> in four manufacturing sites.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Major plants like that don\u2019t get built easily. For example, Intel\u2019s <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>$20 billion semiconductor manufacturing site<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> in Licking County, Ohio, will need about 7,000 construction workers, according to the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Associated Press<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n That demand for construction workers across the country has demonstrated how strained the skilled construction workforce is, Basu said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd I emphasize the word skilled because this is not an ordinary form of construction, this is precision construction. You really need a very skilled workforce, and we just don\u2019t have enough of those people.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For their part, subcontractors may also end up working on these projects for years, which means they must have the financial wherewithal to complete the work, he added.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBecause there is so much at stake, [such as the] global market share in computer chips, for instance, the potential for legal liability is outsized,\u201d said Basu. \u201cContractors have to deliver to specifications. Failure to do so can have extraordinary negative consequences.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSpecial considerations<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
Positions remain unfilled<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n