Your Say: Construction help wanted

Some contractors are encountering a shortage of construction workers, especially in Texas, Arizona, Iowa and Florida. Comments from Facebook:

There is no shortage if the proper wage is paid. I hear this all the time: A contractor bids on a job at a ridiculously low price and then can't find anyone to come work for him at the wages he offers. There are plenty of good, qualified workers around. They just refuse to work for wages that can't sustain them or their families.

Laurent Schoenacker

With the amount of unemployment we currently have, people should be lining up for the jobs.

Part of the problem is some people think that kind of work is beneath them and don't think it pays enough. If you don't have a job, you take what you can get and prove you are worth more!

Larry Ashburn

Years ago, all work was about quality. Now it's all about quantity, or how much work can you get done within a budget. Builders set the bar low for time and money. So now you see a lot of immigrants on work visas or illegally working here for less than what Americans would normally be making. Who is at fault: the builders, contractors or workers?

Howie Washington

There won't be a shortage shortly. I live in northern Michigan and own a small construction company. This has been a pretty good year, but things are slowing way down.

Don Howland