As projects continue to stack on top of each other, the Roswell Engineering Department looks to expand ahead of 29 upcoming projects.
According to KRQE, there have been 1,500 engineering and architecture positions open throughout the state and Roswell needs to hire at least two.
“The New Mexico Department of Roswell in District 2, I understand had three vacancies. Now they are down to two, but they have also had those vacancies for about a year as well," Roswell City Engineer Louis Najar said, according to KRQE. "I understand that the city of Farmington, that's also trying."
Roswell has been trying to recruit engineers since April 2020.
“It is slowing some of the projects because people don’t realize the design starts at the beginning then all the certifications, the actual design, then your construction, your construction management, your audits, all the stuff that goes with one project,” Najar told KRQE.
The City of Roswell told KRQE that they are hopeful when it comes to filling the positions but with the competitive market, it's tough to do.
“The New Mexico DOT and the state entities, they also use other web searches, and that’s stuff to help find engineers,” Najar said, told by KRQE.