Contractors are Anxious as Covid Threatens Their Livelihood

Brunswick, ME – For the last two decades, there has been a massive shortage of skilled labor in the U.S., making trained contractors like Caleb Violette, owner of On Bond Masonry, all the more in demand. After receiving his certification in masonry as well as carpentry, the world seemed to open up to him. Sure, the startup costs, including a truck and materials, were steep in comparison with many other professions, but those expenses soon recouped themselves. His business was thriving, and even COVID seemed unable to slow it.

“This is the biggest building boom of our time.” he said. “There was more need for construction and construction works than there ever has been since I started in the trade…”

It was his belief, along with many others in his line of work, that contracting was immune to even a pandemic. However, the damage to the industry caused by the pandemic may not be fully apparent at the moment. 

He told me that in the beginning stages of the pandemic, there was an abundance of work. At first, he would leave his business cards at local gas stations in order to attract customers, but soon after starting this practice, he had to stop because there were simply too many opportunities. As he gained more experience, he was able to expand into different fields, including carpentry and laying tile. Now, however, the tide is beginning to turn.

Not only has COVID caused mass shutdowns, but it has caused the price of materials to skyrocket. Even with the massive short term growth, the costs job to job are becoming too much for some contractors to handle. Inflation has been a large contributing factor in this, and that does not seem to be getting better in the near future, causing further anxiety within the industry. All of these issues are leading to widespread industry growth that is creating an uncertain future for Violette. A bubble has formed, and it is ready to pop at any moment.

A booming start of the pandemic for Caleb has ended up here, as he is forced to work a second job pouring concrete at a large company to make ends meet. This was never the plan, and it has stripped away the independence and freedom that gravitated him towards the work in the first place. Before his second job, he had the time and financial freedom to work on side projects, such a renovating a home for him and his girlfriend to one day live in, and helping out friends and family with their own projects. Now, these aspects of his life have been shelved, and even with the two income streams, money is tight.

There is no definite end to these struggles, though it is his hope that summer will provide some respite to these problems with its typical influx of work. Violette plans that when it does roll around, he will be able to ditch his second job and return to his preferred lifestyle of flexible work and plenty of personal time. Until then, it is essential to support to contractors in this time.