Everyone who lives in the Reno community knows how hard the construction industry was hit by the real estate bust a few years ago. In 2006, the Nevada Department of Employment reported 25,900 construction workers in the Reno-Sparks area. In 2010, there were around 7300. Those numbers have begun to improve in recent years due to major projects like the Apple data center project and Tesla's gigafactory. But, it remains to be seen how Tesla affects the Reno construction industry for years to come.
How Tesla Affects the Reno Construction Industry
While nowhere near the almost 26,000 reported at the last boom in 2006, more and more construction workers are finding employment here in the Reno-Sparks area. Much of that has been attributed to jobs like the 5,000,000 square foot Tesla gigafactory located just outside Reno. If you want to know how Tesla affects the Reno construction industry, consider this. A few years ago, Reno workers were leaving the state in search of employment. Some even went so far as North Dakota. There just weren't enough projects for workers to support their families. This situation has now reversed itself.
Part of the agreement with Tesla to build in Reno was that Reno construction workers would have "first dibs". Unfortunately, thousands of skilled workers left that state in the construction downturn of a few years ago. Unions are seeing an increase in requests from workers located outside of the Reno-Sparks area to be put on a waiting list for consideration. Even with more construction jobs expected at the Ghost Systems data center and Switch SUPERNAP facility, local businesses are cautious about celebrating the Tesla project as a "come back" for the local construction industry.
In the short term, there is no doubt how Tesla affects the Reno construction industry. It is definitely a huge help. Whether it will continue to bring more construction jobs back to the Reno area in the future is still up in the air.
Have you or someone you known been affected by the slow down in the Reno construction industry? Were they able to weather through it or did they have to go out of state for work? Please share your stories in the comments below.
Charlene Hamilton, Your Reno Real Estate Specialist
Originally posted on my Reno real estate blog here: http://charlenehamiltonrealestate.com/reno-news/how-tesla-affects-the-reno-construction-industry.
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