Specialty firms in the Mountain States face the same challenges as their colleagues nationwide—an ongoing workforce shortage, shrinking backlogs in the shadow of a pandemic year and a lingering recession.
“When the pandemic first struck down the economic expansion during the February to April time frame, construction emerged as a relative bulwark of stability,” said Anirban Basu, chief economist with the Associated Builders and Contractors. “But the protective shields that helped sustain industry performance have begun to weaken.”