Despite the Booming Economy, a Talent Shortage and Tariffs Cast a Shadow Over Regional Design Industry
A new study ranks Utah, Colorado and Idaho among the top 10 states in the U.S. having the best economies, based on job markets, economic environment and several other metrics. The 2018 study, by finance website WalletHub, ranks the more energy-dependent economies of Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas in the bottom 20 of the list.
Those findings will come as no surprise to design firms across the Mountain States, whose take on the current state of the industry arises directly from their locations. For example, in Utah, the market “continues to boom, and design activity is off the charts,” says Jim Lohse, senior principal at FFKR Architects and the 2018 president of AIA Utah. He notes strength in health care, K-12, multifamily and offices. “There’s no slowdown in sight,” he says. “It seems like we’re always hiring, or trying to hire, just to keep up.”