ST. GEORGE, Utah — Utah legislators are trying to hammer out ways to ease the cost of living in the state. One of the options might come through construction workers in hard hats and vests.
"I had a grandpa that was from the industry. I grew up working many of those trades and understanding it. I think one of the reasons I love and I'm more passionate about construction, really, is just the ability to be able to help people," said Todd Houghton, VP, Southwest Director, Westland Construction.
Houghton is a third-generation construction contractor in St. George, an industry that dominates the area. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 13.6% of all local jobs in the southern Utah city are tied to construction, the highest percentage of any metro area in the nation among those with less than 350,000 people.
According to research company Construction Coverage, the majority of construction workers in the St. George Metro area are general laborers, followed by carpenters and supervisors. Annual wages range from $47,000-62,000.
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Boosting high-quality construction jobs is part of the strategy in bills introduced in the legislature to help residents handle the cost of living.
"When my grandpa and dad worked construction, it was raw and dirty—but smart," explained Houghton. "Now we infuse technology, business management, and organizational skills. We need qualified carpenters and qualified managers that actually understand it."
Josue Iglesias is just starting as a second-year apprentice with Southland Electrical. He says he's always busy.
"People think it's just screwing in a light bulb, but no, we're out here digging holes. We're out here laying pipe, you know, there's a lot more to it than that," Iglesias said.
A part of the current legislative action is House Bill 245, which will set a minimum wage that contractors would pay their employees. While it would help boost construction wages, Houghton said it would be hard to implement.
"In construction, we oftentimes put together the finances on a project years in advance," he explained. "It turns out that all of a sudden, everybody needs to be making $5 or $10 more, which I think would be a really good thing.
"Can those budgets that guys like me put together for those owners, can we hold to the numbers that we put? Short answer is probably not."
