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While employment numbers released Tuesday paint a rosy picture for the construction industry in Oregon, some mechanical, engineering and plumbing contractors worry what will happen as the biggest project in the state begins to wind down.
Building equipment contractors have largely fueled the industry's significant employment growth, adding 1,400 jobs in March and 2,600 over the past 12 months, according to the Oregon Employment Department.
Contractors cite a "confidential client in Hillsboro" as the source of recent robust growth. But that client is widely known as Intel, which in 2013 set a two-year timetable for the second phase of its D1X expansion.
But with no more plans for construction at D1X beyond the second phase, a drawdown is expected to begin this summer, Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association Executive Director Frank Wall said.
The PMCA projects that this year the Hillsboro site will have 1,134 union members working a total of 2.8 million hours. However, the...