BOISE, Idaho — Cities across the country are dealing with a shortage of skilled laborers and though a recent report shows Idaho is doing better than most, local homeowners still tell us it's difficult to find skilled workers.
"I started looking for someone to do this four years ago," said Mona Morrison, a Boise resident.
Mona Morrison says she has been making small renovations throughout the years to her home in Boise but within the past few years, it has become especially difficult for her to hire someone for a single home renovation.
She says she came across high prices, and non-experienced workers and was told her needed renovation wasn't large enough for them to consider.
"One company came in with a bid that was deliberately high," said Morrison. "He didn't want the bid and was outbid by tens of thousands of dollars."
Mona's experience is important to note because a new report shows Boise residents are actually better off than most in the country.
New data by "Today's Homeowner" with Danny Lipford shows Boise homeowners should have an easier time hiring someone for home service projects since the Treasure Valley ranked # 1 in the country.
"Let's say your pipe burst, say you're having trouble with your electrical unit, anything like that," said Hailey Neff, a researcher with "Today's Homeowner" with Danny Lipford. "You will be having less of a problem when you reach out and try and have skilled labor try and fix this,"
Mona ended up finding someone both skilled enough to do her job and willing. She recently hired Jared the Handyman— who tells me he has been doing this line of work for the past three years.
He says finding work that needs to get done has been fairly easy.
"I put people on a list and then get to them as soon as I can," said Jared Jorgensen, a local handyman. "I'm usually a month to two months out,"
When looking for someone who can get the work done around her home, Mona says she has a few requirements she is looking for.
"I don't think I would necessarily trust someone new that is coming into the area, I want the licensing and the history," said Morrison. "The local history to feel safe for the work, it's a lot of money to put into the remodeling."
Jared says that compared to the rest of the handymen in the area he thinks his prices are fairly lower… but also says he has noticed more retiring than those entering the workforce.
A report conducted by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported two-year skilled trade program enrollment rose last spring by 11% representing 9,950 new students.
You can find people who are willing to do a slipshod job, but finding people who are excellent at their job is difficult," said Morrison.
Reports show there are more than 70 home service workers per 1,000 homeowners in the area, and the number of home service workers is currently growing.
