ABC Reports Construction Input Prices Plod Higher, Energy Prices Down

  • Posted on

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Construction input prices increased .3 percent in July and are up 3 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonresidential construction input prices were in line with overall industry dynamics, increasing 0.3 percent for the month and 2.7 percent for the year. Eight of 11 key construction input prices rose in July. Among the inputs experiencing declines in prices were crude petroleum (down 8 percent) and natural gas (down 7 percent). Natural gas prices have fallen during four of the past six […]

Filed under: Economic NewsTagged with: , ,

Construction Input Prices Tick Higher in June, Crude Petroleum Prices Rebound

  • Posted on

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Construction input prices rose .2 percent in June, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by Associated Builders and Contractors. This represents the sixth increase in construction input prices over the past seven months, but the overall rate of increase has been quite slow. On a year-over-year basis, construction input prices are up 2.6 percent. Nonresidential construction input prices also rose .2 percent in June and are up 2.3 percent on a year-ago basis. Much of the input price inflation in June was due to increased charges for crude petroleum, which registered a price […]

Filed under: Economic NewsTagged with: , ,

Construction Employment Increases In 264 out of 358 Metro Areas Between June 2016, 2017

  • Posted on

Construction employment increased in 264 out of 358 metro areas between June 2016 and June 2017, declined in 57 and stagnated in 37, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that even though most metro areas added construction jobs, the employment gains were particularly pronounced in the western third of the country. “Western metro areas, from southern California and Nevada to Oregon and Washington, logged many of the largest absolute and percentage increases in construction employment in the past year,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. […]

Filed under: Economic NewsTagged with: ,

Nonresidential Building and Electric Utilities Advance, Housing Recedes

  • Posted on

NEW YORK, N.Y. – New construction starts in June grew 4 percent from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $679.9 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. Nonresidential building increased 13 percent in June, strengthening after two months of lackluster activity, and the nonbuilding construction sector rose 8 percent with the help of elevated activity for electric utilities. However, residential building slipped 4 percent in June, as both sides of the housing market (single-family and multifamily) retreated. Through the first six months of 2017, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were $342.7 billion, down 4 […]

Filed under: Economic NewsTagged with: ,

Construction Employment Climbs Between June 2016, 2017

  • Posted on

Forty-one states added construction jobs between June 2016 and June 2017 amid continuing widespread demand for construction services, while 25 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between May and June, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data recently released. Association officials said the smaller number of states adding workers in the latest month may indicate a shortage of qualified job seekers, rather than a slowdown in demand for construction. “Contractors in most of the country say they have plenty of projects booked and would like to hire more workers […]

Filed under: Economic NewsTagged with: , ,