Dunedin builders say Forsyth Barr Stadium is saving the city's building industry, which is experiencing a downturn.
Reid Construction Ltd construction manager Mark Hastie believed "without the stadium, Dunedin would have died".
The market was definitely in a downturn, with less money and less confidence resulting in more businesses competing for the same jobs.
Younger builders charging cheaper hourly rates, being "pushed out" of jobs by significantly lower quotes, and people relying more on word-of-mouth to find a builder meant his residential and light commercial crew had been cut from seven workers to four this year.
However, in the past four weeks he had noticed a change. With the Government releasing funds for public-sector work and people becoming more interested in investing in "bricks and mortar", the tide was turning, he said.
Amalgamated Builders Ltd Otago area manager Richard Johnston said if it was not for the stadium, the company would struggle to keep its workers.
"The market is a lot tighter this year than it has been. You have to work a lot harder to keep your guys employed."
The company worked mainly on commercial buildings and he was pleased several large commercial projects were "on the horizon".
Steve Mowat Building and Construction owner Steve Mowat said the "stadium will be great" as it would "rub-off" on a range of builders in the area.
The larger building firms and subcontractors would get tied up in the stadium's construction, leaving more work in the market for smaller builders, he said.
Calder Stewart project manager Ross Pringle said the company was benefiting from the downturn in residential building. About 50 people had responded to an advertisement for short-term work on construction projects.
Where these builders previously had "work stacked up in front of them", the winter season and economic climate meant new houses and renovations were not as common and they were keen to turn from residential building to commercial to bridge the gap.
"In the last six to eight years, they weren't in the market. Now, they are."
The company was "hesitant" about employing full-time workers but was willing to employ single workers or small teams on one to two-month contracts for projects around the country, he said.
