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Job growth in New Mexico's construction industry and improvements in workforce development have led to a higher ranking of 34th nationally on the Association of Builders and Contractors (ABC) Merit Shop Scorecard.
ABC's review and ranking of state construction environments measures seven factors, including prevailing wage, right to work and public-private partnerships. State funds were poured into workforce development in 2019, with more than $40 million in grants and incentives offered for workforce preparation and development. In addition, more than 90 percent of students in career and technical education high schools go on to college or careers.
While some factors have improved, New Mexico still falls behind its neighbors, thanks to no right-to-work policy and lack of public-private partnerships on public construction projects. New Mexico also has a prevailing wage law that prevents small contractors with limited capital from bidding on public projects. There is also no state policy on project labor agreements,
Even with these challenges, the job market has grown by 3.6 percent and is expected to continue to flourish.
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