Labor shortage-Start a construction/development firm

What are you guy's thoughts on this? I know traditionally construction is low margin with a big team so it makes no sense really to have a firm bigger than necessary but now with labor shortages going on indefinitely would it be advantageous to have in-house construction/gc now?

And what's the best way to even learn that industry? Building a house and going bigger each time?

5 Comments
 
I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful
Champagne Sipping

What are you guy's thoughts on this? I know traditionally construction is low margin with a big team so it makes no sense really to have a firm bigger than necessary but now with labor shortages going on indefinitely would it be advantageous to have in-house construction/gc now?

And what's the best way to even learn that industry? Building a house and going bigger each time?

Most GCs I know of make a ton of money.  Margins can be high and you can pass a ton of cost overrun on to your owner.

The larger issue is that construction is really risky, and really technical.  You need to be good at it or it'll be a nightmare, it's not something where you walk onto a site with a hammer and say "lets get started".

Besides, labor shortages will still hurt you.  No construction firm has all the personnel to build an asset - they hire subs, and the subs are the ones having the labor shortage.  In house construction has a lot of advantages but not one which helps this particular issue; in fact, having a team to feed will make it worse in a lot of ways.

 

I own a GC/development company and have definitely thought about if it was worth it.

For us it’s worthwhile as a support for the development company as you can support development overhead costs (if need be) with cash flow from the GC and it’s nice to have knowledge of what other projects cost if you are also doing 3rd party work in the area you are developing.

Staffing is always difficult, but if you can put together a large enough backlog and offer enough comp it’s not too difficult to hire. I’ve also found it can be devastating if a PM or Superintendent quits mid project, so have a plan in place to prevent the repercussions if this happens.

Good GC’s generally have a lot of overhead so be sure you watch your cash flow and working capital if you start one.

 

Explicabo id id ut sapiente est sed. Beatae sit repellendus tempora ipsum. Mollitia quia modi recusandae alias non optio quo repellendus. Dolore ducimus occaecati et qui aut.

Fuga harum aspernatur sit. Quia molestiae dolorum consequatur quod ipsum eos veniam. Reprehenderit saepe quo eum voluptatibus et ullam. Ipsam voluptas consequatur illum et voluptas et qui. Nisi repellendus ut accusantium molestiae amet voluptatem eum libero. Numquam consequuntur sed aut similique excepturi est voluptatum. Explicabo et quis aut eum eos qui ut.

Excepturi in laboriosam quia. Natus temporibus odio nisi amet possimus. Fugiat consequatur eum labore quos asperiores dolorem eveniet. Blanditiis et quas fugit qui.

Corrupti aut enim doloribus animi sit et fugit. Expedita iste doloribus ut vitae labore. Neque quisquam a qui voluptas possimus. Ea qui fugiat optio sit ab nam. Debitis illum ipsum voluptatem magni vel.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”