Browse by Date - 201608

TWO-THIRDS OF CONTRACTORS HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING QUALIFIED CRAFT WORKERS TO HIRE AMID GROWING CONSTRUCTION DEMAND, NATIONAL SURVEY FINDS

Labor Shortages are Prompting Firms to Increase Pay and Become More Efficient but Threaten to Slow Economic Growth over the Long-Term Officials Warn as they Call for New Workforce Measures

NEW FEDERAL “FAIR PLAY” RULE WILL SUBJECT FIRMS TO UNFAIR AND ARBITRARY PUNISHMENT, SCARE AWAY FEDERAL CONTRACTORS, ESPECIALLY SMALLER ONES

Nation’s Top Construction Official Says New Rule Allows Federal Officials to Punish Firms at Will and Impose Arbitrary Consequences, Making it Hard for Many Firms to Continue Federal Work

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America issued the following statement today in response to the release of a final federal regulation that would allow unelected federal officials to blacklist firms who run afoul of vague guidelines:

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT RISES IN 39 STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OVER LATEST 12 MONTHS; YET ONLY 23 STATES AND D.C. ADD JOBS FROM JUNE TO JULY

Thirty-nine state added construction jobs between July 2015 and July 2016 while construction employment only increased in 23 states and the District of Columbia between June and July, according to analysis of Labor Department data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said construction employment likely declined in many states as firms have growing difficulty locating qualified workers to hire.

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT INCREASES IN 228 OUT OF 358 METRO AREAS BETWEEN JUNE 2015 AND 2016 AS FIRMS STRUGGLE TO FIND QUALIFIED WORKERS TO HIRE

Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, Calif. and Kokomo, Ind. Top Gainers; Biggest Losses are in Bloomington, Ill. and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas, as Construction Group Calls for New Perkins Act

CONSTRUCTION SPENDING DECLINES IN JUNE FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE MONTH, BUT RESULTS FOR FIRST HALF OF 2016 OUTPACE JANUARY-JUNE 2015 TOTALS

Most Construction Segments Had Large Spending Gains During the First Six Months Amid Indications Industry Continues to Expand and Contractors Face a Hard Time Finding Enough Workers to Keep Up