According to the latest Contractor Compensation Quarterly (CCQ) published by PAS, Inc., contractors are projecting 2022 construction staff wages to increase an average of 4.17%, as reported by over 340 companies in the 40th edition of the Construction / Construction Management Staff Salary Survey. For pay increase comparison, according to the WorldatWork, across all industries exempt professionals saw 2021 actual increases of 3.0% and they are projecting 2022 increases of 3.3%. For construction WorldatWork reported a 3.4% increase in 2021 and an early projection of 3.4% for 2022.

Employers Have Until July 31, 2022, to Update I-9s

Registration is now open for the 2022 Construction HR and Training Professionals Conference and pre-conference Federal Construction HR Workshop to be held October 12-14, 2022, in Phoenix, AZ.

Price escalation and supply chain disruptions continue as top issues in construction. Getting a price escalation clause that adjusts prices and payments up or down based on an objective index like the ConsensusDocs 200.1 standard price escalation clause is the fairest and best way to combat this problematic issue. However, there is not a magic bullet or one-size-fits-all approach on this issue – it is an all-of-the-above approach. The early procurement of supplies is a common-sense approach that subcontractors, general contractors, and even owners employ to keep projects running on budget and on time. However, early procurement of supplies raises another issue: how do we account for storing these materials?

Employers that test workers for COVID-19 should review their policies to ensure they comply with updated guidelines released July 12 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In prior guidance, the EEOC broadly allowed employers to screen workers for COVID-19 without running afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) due to the state of the pandemic. In revised guidelines, however, the agency said the employers may continue to administer viral tests as a condition of entering a worksite, so long as they can show that the testing practices are job-related and consistent with business necessity. The update “makes clear that going forward employers will need to assess whether current pandemic circumstances and individual workplace circumstances justify viral screening testing of employees to prevent workplace transmission of COVID-19,” the EEOC said.

In its latest Settlements Report, the AGC-supported Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) advises that construction-industry collective bargaining agreements settled from January through June of 2022 provide an average increase in wages and benefits of 3.6 percent or $2.17 in the first contract year. Along with the written report, CLRC has released a four-minute video highlighting key findings.