Projects such as redecking the Broken Arrow Expressway bridge over Pittsburg Avenue have helped Oklahoma achieve a lower percentage of structurally deficient spans than the national average, says Jimmy Kuykendall of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World file
1: Unemployment in construction fell to 9.8 percent in June, its lowest level for that month in five years. Historically, is this a good or bad number, and what accounts for the improving statistics?
As we all know, in 2010 the construction industry saw its sharpest jump in unemployment numbers. The average for 2010, 21 percent, was the highest we had seen in decades.
Today, sitting at just under 10 percent, is much more in line with the rate of five years ago. Given the state of the economy today and the coming construction growth in the Oklahoma City and Moore areas, I expect that number to continue on its current trajectory for some time.
2: Is there a construction worker shortage and, if so, how bad is it?
For quite some time, we have experienced a shortage of qualified and experienced tradesmen. But the technical expertise shortage isn't exclusive to our industry. Health care, education and machine shops are experiencing similar issues. That's why Oklahoma has been on the forefront of tradesmen training with vocational and technical schools.
The training exists for those willing to seek it out and dedicate themselves to these fields.
3: What are your thoughts on immigration reform and how it affects the industry?
The construction and trades industry has always struggled with the immigration issue. For decades, millions of immigrant workers have sought jobs in the construction fields.
Many have only the training they receive on the job and are willing to work. They have a good work ethic, their employment means a lot to them, and many times they support large families at home with the wages they earn here.
As the immigration debate continues, we continue to look for opportunities to hire a workforce that is willing to work, willing to learn a trade and willing to look for long-term opportunities in the construction field.
4: Can you tell us a little more about the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors, and how does it help contractors locally?
AOGC serves several important functions for our members, most importantly to provide representation on the state and federal levels.
We provide access to bid opportunities and contract awards. We work with our member companies and lobby municipal and other local authorities, boards and commissions on their behalf.
Beyond those core functions, we provide up-to-date safety information across the state, important training and continuing education opportunities for our members' companies and their staffs, and well as social and professional networking opportunities for our members.
5: Can you update us on the Eight Year Construction Work Plan?
The program has been valuable in developing Oklahoma's roads and bridges across all 77 counties.
We've already seen progress, with ODOT recently announcing the reduction in structurally deficient highway bridges. For the first time, Oklahoma is better than the national average.
Commitment to this plan remains strong among our governor, legislators and members, and we're confident this project will stay on task through 2020.
Jimmy Kuykendall is vice president and general manager of Equipment World, a construction equipment company. He is a member of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors.
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