Merit Shop Apprenticeship Program Enrollment Up 60%, Growing Faster Than Unions

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Nonunion apprenticeship programs and participants were responsible for the vast majority of growth in construction registered apprenticeship programs, or RAPs, over the past five years, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data. “The DOL data show that ABC and merit shop contractors are leading the industry in growing both registered apprenticeship programs and innovative new workforce development pipelines,” said Kristen Swearingen, ABC vice president of government affairs. “ABC supports the DOL building on its success by streamlining and simplifying apprenticeship regulations while providing incentives for better RAP performance, which will attract new sponsors and employers to … Read more

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ABC: Construction Materials Prices Flat in July, Up 7.4% From a Year Ago

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Overall construction and nonresidential input prices both increased 0.1% in July compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Overall construction input prices are 7.4% higher than one year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 7.2% higher. Prices decreased in 2 of the 3 energy subcategories last month. Crude petroleum prices decreased 11.9%, and unprocessed energy materials decreased 7.4%. Natural gas prices were up 10.4% in July. “Construction input prices were virtually unchanged in July, but that relatively tame behavior can be traced to … Read more

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June Nonresidential Construction Spending Up on Strength of Data Centers

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National nonresidential construction spending rose 0.1% in June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.277 trillion. Spending was up on a monthly basis in 8 of 16 nonresidential subcategories. Both public and private nonresidential spending were up 0.1% in June. Private nonresidential construction spending was down nearly 5% from a year ago. “Through April 2025, private nonresidential construction spending ascended to $806.1 billion on a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis, an all-time high,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Since then, … Read more

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Every State Had Construction Unemployment Rate Below 10% in June

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The national June not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate was 4.7%, a 1.3% increase from June 2025, according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by Associated Builders and Contractors. The analysis found that every state had a construction unemployment rate below 10% and all but three states (Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island) had a rate below 7%. National NSA payroll construction employment was 59,000 higher than in June 2025, its 14th straight month of year-over-year increases below 100,000. Seasonally adjusted payroll construction employment was 8.3 million, or 9.5% above its pre-pandemic peak of 7.6 … Read more

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AGC: Construction Employment Increases in 33 States and D.C.

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Construction employment increased in 33 states and the District of Columbia from June 2025 to June 2026, while 28 states and D.C. added jobs between May and June, according to an analysis of new federal data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned, however, that several policy developments, including uncertainty surrounding tariffs, highway funding and data center development, could undermine future construction demand. Between June 2025 and June 2026, 33 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs, 14 states shed jobs, and employment was unchanged in Delaware, Mississippi and North Dakota. Texas added the most construction jobs … Read more

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