A national trend in the construction industry has begun to be felt in central Ohio, as skilled workers needed to build offices, hospitals, warehouses and hotels are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

A national trend in the construction industry has begun to be felt in central Ohio, as skilled workers needed to build offices, hospitals, warehouses and hotels are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

"We saw it happening during the construction of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center," said Kyle Rooney, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction's local office.

"We had to bring in people from other counties and even other states to supplement what was available here," he said of the $1.1 billion project that utilized 700 to 800 workers on a daily basis and is set to open in December.

The growing worker shortage is a concern in the industry as it recovers from the recession, according to a new study from the Associated General Contractors of America. It found that 83 percent of the more than 1,000 construction companies surveyed are having problems filling craft-worker positions such as carpenters, equipment operators and laborers.

Here in Ohio, construction companies also struggle to find project managers and engineers, as well as equipment operators, carpenters, laborers, drywall installers and welders, according to the report.

"We have an aging workforce that is retiring, and we don't have enough young people coming in to fill the pipeline," said Barton Hacker, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors chapter of central Ohio.

The problem is even more severe in the less-populated eastern part of the state, where the quest to find oil and gas has created the need for construction workers.

"They don't have a ready-made workforce in these areas and are definitely having problems finding workers," Hacker said.

The worker shortage has changed the ways companies operate. About 50 percent are using more subcontractors and 37 percent are using staffing companies, according to the Associated General Contractors survey.

It could get worse in the coming months, as 39 percent of the state's contractors believe it will become even more difficult to find construction workers.

"The younger people coming out of school are looking at other career opportunities," Rooney said.

Hacker and the local Associated General Contractors group are trying to change this.

The organization's Ohio Construction Academy charter school is in its second year and has about 40 students.

"We're hoping to grow that to 60 next year," Hacker said.

swartenberg@dispatch.com

@stevewartenberg