34th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives Commentary: Survey Results Reveal Challenges In Today’s Industrial Market
This year’s Corporate Survey results echo the continued strong demand we are seeing in the U.S. industrial sector, as well as the continuing “war for talent.”
Q1 2020
Almost half of the respondents (45 percent) are seriously contemplating opening a new facility in the near future, with a whopping 87 percent of those to be located domestically. Of those new facilities, 62 percent are slated to be manufacturing or distribution. This echoes the continued strong demand we are seeing in the industrial sector in the United States.
Since 2013, industrial space demand has outpaced new developer completions by more than 89 million square feet. In that same time period, rents have increased by 25.2 percent, according to CBRE Research. CBRE tracks a basket of 14 strategic industrial markets in the United States. Seven of those 14 markets (Detroit, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, Reno, St. Louis, and El Paso) had vacancy rates below or slightly above the national average (4.3 percent) and aggregate net asking rent growth of 6.1 percent year-over-year. Overall, these markets have large industrial labor pools at relatively low cost. With industrial demand continuing to increase, current available space and new completions should be fully absorbed. E-commerce, third-party logistics, manufacturing, and food and beverage users, which have fueled much of the demand in recent years, remain the most likely candidates to occupy new buildings.
Digging deeper into the survey reveals some of the current challenges in today’s industrial market. Attend any industrial site selection or real estate event and you will no doubt hear concerns about “the war for talent.” According to the survey, the No. 1 challenge on the minds of respondents is the availability of skilled labor (65 percent rate this as “very important,” the highest such rating). Skilled industrial labor is harder and harder to find in today’s market. For some the answer has been automation, but that has a high barrier to entry, often with capital investment in the tens of millions of dollars and significant implementation risk. For those who cannot or will not choose automation, the solutions to the labor challenges have been higher wages, better benefit packages, and better workforce development programs. This trade-off is something to watch closely in 2020.
Project Announcements
Piramal Pharma Solutions Expands Lexington, Kentucky, Operations
10/04/2024
G&H Decoys Plans Corning, Arkansas, Headquarters-Manufacturing Operations
10/04/2024
Britain-Based Ultimate Defense Technologies Establishes Billings, Montana, Operations
10/04/2024
Google Plans Dorchester County, South Carolina, Data Center Operations
10/04/2024
Sirius Analysis Plans Virginia Beach, Virginia, Headquarters
10/04/2024
South Korea-Based ILJIN Plans Auburn, Alabama, Manufacturing Operations
10/04/2024
Most Read
-
Top States for Doing Business in 2024: A Continued Legacy of Excellence
Q3 2024
-
What the Latest EPA PFAS Rule Means for Site Due Diligence
Q3 2024
-
Cold Storage: The Next Big Thing in Industrial Real Estate
Q3 2024
-
2023 Top States for Doing Business Meet the Needs of Site Selectors
Q3 2023
-
The Challenge of Securing Sufficient Electrical Power for Battery Cell Plants
Q3 2024
-
2023's Leading Metro Locations: Hotspots of Economic Growth
Q4 2023
-
Semiconductors’ Fragile Relationship With Water May Be Tested
Q3 2024