LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Everywhere you look in Las Vegas, you'll likely see construction, even on the Strip.
As of Thursday night, there was active construction in front of Caesar's Palace and active work building the Hard Rock Guitar-shaped hotel.
However, those in the industry say it's changing and they're all trying to adapt.
“It’s happening everywhere," said John Willey who works in construction out of Washington.
I caught up with Willey at the ConExpo Con/Agg construction trade show going on this week in the valley at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
New machinery, robots, new ways to perform simple tasks, and much more are all on display.
The main focus for some is on several issues they're facing in construction.
“Now we have 15, 20 contractors looking at a job where it used to be more like four, so what that is, there are certain segments of the industry that dry up," Willey said.
“There have been a lot of commercial work that has seem to have gone on hold indefinitely, waiting for funding," said Territory Manager at EFCO Kyle Hamilton. His company has done work on the Sphere and is currently working on the guitar hotel on the strip.
“The trend I’m seeing is the youth of this country not wanting to get into the trades," said construction business owner Jim Bennett.
According to the latest DETR jobs report, Nevada had nearly 11,000 fewer construction jobs in December 2025 compared to the previous year.
So, the issues are a lack of jobs and people doing them, some hope it's just a phase.
“We need to do better," Bennett said.
Meanwhile, in real estate, similar impacts are being seen. Prices and mortgage rates are high, meaning fewer homes are sold and fewer are being built.
However, Andrew Leavitt, a vice president at West Coast Mortgage Group, says that could all change soon.
“Some of the lowest rates we’ve seen since May of 2025, even back a little further than that," he said. "Government rates we’ve seen them get into the low 5s, mid-5s; previously, they were in the 6s comfortably. Conventional has also gone into the mid-to-high 5s."
Leavitt tells me FHA and VA government-backed mortgage rates are 5.49% and conventional mortgage rates are between 5.875% - 5.99%. You can get these rates without any additional buy-down points.
He says lower mortgage rates usually mean more sales and more construction.
“You’re going to probably see the demand come back, you’re going to see them start building again," Leavitt said.
However, he says there is a catch. While this is welcome news for potential home buyers and those looking to refinance, it means more buyers will enter the market.
Leavitt says that means competition will return and that means less negotiating power for the buyer. He says multiple offers on homes will likely return and home prices may even increase because of it, but monthly prices will be lower due to better rates.
Many in construction say that despite the current issues, the future is bright.
“I don’t have any worries about it, no," Hamilton said.
While many are navigating the ebbs and flows of the construction industry, they say they're focusing on the future and the new generation of workers.
