Mountain States August 2022 City Scoop Cheyenne
City Grill
Mark Madsen
Business Development Director
WHS
“The [Wyoming] market is still strong with available work. However, the biggest and most hampering issue is with the available workforce,” Madsen says. “Reachable workforce is almost nonexistent. People looking for work are rare and are employed almost immediately. We are used to normal onboarding processes involving OSHA training before any actual work. Now we see signing bonuses for anyone that shows up to the local job fair. Our local unemployment rate is 3.5% and heading lower.
“The materials/shipping issues have created numerous land mines for contractors to navigate. Delivery dates and fixed costs for construction materials are pipe dreams. Our anticipation is that the local economy and broader Wyoming economy will continue to increase in volume,” he says.
“Cheyenne is the state capital but also enjoys being one of the Colorado Front-Range communities that are rapidly expanding,” he adds. “Workforce issues make any increase in construction volume difficult. Many contractors are hampered by any projects that require increasing their employee count.”
