Tag Archive for: labor shortage

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Labor scarcity will be among the major headwinds driving industrial commercial real estate decisions in 2022 as record shortages challenge distribution channels and unemployment hits a near-historic low.

“With industrial related hiring already at all-time highs, the continued need for labor to service growing e-commerce demands, combined with an economy at nearly full employment, is exacerbating the labor shortage for distribution workers in many markets,” a new Colliers report notes, adding that the US unemployment rate is now near a 50 year low of 3.5%.

And while so far, the industrial sector has managed to post record growth, the labor shortages span “nearly all demographic groups and affect the entire American economy,” and continuing lows will slow the rate of economic growth and slow manufacturing output, Colliers predicts.

“While automation and advanced technologies are becoming more prevalent and affecting industrial employment, the future will still rely on highly skilled labor to operate complex systems and machinery, alongside robotics—labor that is increasingly more difficult to find,” the Colliers report notes.

In addition, scarce land availability will continue to impact the sector. Prologis reports that construction starts have risen to an all time high of 120 million square feet in the sector, but the firm notes that new supply is mainly concentrated in low-barrier secondary and tertiary markets and the outlying submarkets of inland markets.

While a record level of new supply is expected by the end of 2022—including massive build-to-suit projects for e-commerce suppliers and big-box chains—land near big population centers is increasingly scarce.

“Companies seem willing to pay a premium price for land with fierce competition for developable sites,” Colliers analysts note. “This competition is also driving up industrial rents, especially for logistics space near US seaports.”

Colliers also notes that facilities in excess of 2 million square feet are increasingly popular in dense markets as retailers attempt to establish footholds closer to consumers and shorten delivery times. The firm is tracking 12 such big-box multi-story industrial mega centers currently under construction, and notes that a vast majority are for Amazon.

 

Source: GlobeSt.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the South Florida real estate industry to rethink the answers to a range of questions, including how buildings are designed, how goods are delivered, and where and how tenants want to live.

Here are the top 3 emerging trends local industry leaders are watching.

1. Outdoor Space Is Desirable

Retail stores and restaurants took a big hit as shutdowns, restrictions and health concerns changed consumer’s spending habits. Instead of going out to eat, people stocked up on food and avoided in-person shopping, causing a surge in online sales.

Jonathan Carter, executive managing director at Colliers International, says there are a number of deals being done to adapt current spaces to modern environments. And while outdoor environments and open-air concepts in retail stores and restaurants were trending before the pandemic, now there’s a bigger emphasis on it.

“If you had told me in August where we would be today, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Carter said. “The market has gone from having almost no tenants, to what he would now consider a landlord’s market. Landlords who previously had space with a lot of outdoor areas that weren’t perfect, suddenly those spaces are in demand.”

2. Drive-Thru Operators Are Thriving

Last year, the rise in demand for food deliveries, curbside pickup and drive-thrus at quick-service restaurants has been especially prevalent in South Florida, according to Zach Winkler, executive vice president of JLL’s South Florida retail brokerage.

“The demand for more drive-thrus is probably more intense here than any part of the country,” Winkler said. “I think it’s part of the way the restaurant world has shifted a little bit.”

Winkler said sales have remained strong for fast-food restaurants like Louisiana-based Raising Cane’s, and he expects to see an expansion of the chain in South Florida.

“Their sales remained very strong during COVID, and the fact that they’re one of the most efficient drive-thru operators out there,” Winkler said.

3. Offices Are Morphing

As large amounts of people continue to migrate to South Florida and many others prepare to return to the office after a year of working from home, companies are looking at different models for remote and in-office workers. With social distancing changing the way people interact with one another, employers want to give their employees more space and a healthy environment.

Jonathan Kingsley specializes in office and industrial representation of landlords at Colliers International, and he said returning workers are typically getting more square feet per person, while offices are being redesigned.

Remote work is here to stay, but Kingsley feels it won’t be on the scale everyone thought it would.

“Certain employees are absolutely required to work in the office 100% of the time,” said Kingsley, “There’s a second-tier in which there is a three-day at the office, two-day at-home model, three-day at home, and two at the office, and then there is another model where you work from home 100% of the time.”

Click here to for the remaining emerging trends.