With the economy still in a fragile state in 2012, subcontractors may need to look at ways to protect their job. In 2010 and 2011, employment predictions in Utah showed a decrease in construction jobs for this year. By obtaining your Utah General Contractor’s License, you can become your own boss and protect yourself from the risk of layoffs.

The economy hit the Utah construction sector harder than many other sectors. According to projections, construction employment for 2012 will be 69,700. Compared to 103,450 positions in 2007, this is a 32% drop in a five-year period. If you obtain your general contractor’s license, you can be the one placing the bids on smaller projects and protect your income this year.

The overall construction outlook for the US is a lull in the recent turmoil. While some sectors will increase, such as the private sector, other sectors will decrease, such as the public sector. The projection for 2012 is $412 billion, a slight increase over last year’s $410 billion.

Since 2009, the construction industry has had a rough road as it endured a series of vicissitudes. While the difference hasn’t been as extreme as the 24% drop in 2009, there was a 4% drop in 2011.

What this means is that a general contractor’s license should be a first step. If you specialize in a specific area of construction such as energy conservation, solar, or electrical, you can take advantage of growing trends in the construction market.

Continuing education courses can help you hone your skills in any particular market. Core and professional courses help you to learn more about a specific field of construction, while professional courses can help you improve your general business skills.

UTCLC can help you on your path to professional improvement. We can help you with pre licensing prep courses to ensure you pass your tests. After you achieve this first goal, you need to take six hours of continuing education within a two-year period. We can help you with this requirement with courses that are more convenient for you. Visit our home page at www.utclc.com/dev to learn about how we can help you with your construction career goals.