New Crane Index, Quarterly Cost Report from Rider Levett Bucknall

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Rider Levett Bucknall has released its latest Crane Index and Quarterly Cost Report, providing a perspective on the North American construction industry in 16 key markets (formerly 14; Miami and Nashville have been newly added to the Quarterly Cost Report). The latest RLB quarterly cost report, with data current to mid-Q1 2025, shows that the national average change in construction costs was .98% in Q1, which was down from 1.11% in Q4; congruently, the year-over-year rate is 4.35%, down from 5.86% this time last year. Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Portland and Seattle experienced increases in construction costs over the national average … Read more

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March Construction Employment Up Just 1.8% Year Over Year

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The construction industry added 13,000 jobs on net in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has risen by a mere 143,000 jobs, an increase of 1.8%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 22,300 positions on net in March, with growth in 2 of the 3 subsegments. Nonresidential specialty trade added the most jobs, with a monthly increase of 19,300 positions, while heavy and civil engineering added 3,400 jobs. The nonresidential building subsegment lost 400 positions. The construction unemployment rate decreased to 5.4% … Read more

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ABC: Nonresidential Construction Spending Rises to Highest Level on Record in February

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National nonresidential construction spending increased .3% in February, 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 roughly $1.2 trillion. Spending was up on a monthly basis in 9 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending increased .4%, while public nonresidential construction spending was up .2% in February. “Nonresidential spending rebounded in February, rising to the highest level on record,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “A surge in highway and street spending accounted for more than 40% of the monthly increase, and … Read more

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Construction Industry Must Attract 439,000 Workers in 2025, Says ABC

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The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 439,000 net new workers in 2025 to meet anticipated demand for construction services, according to a proprietary model developed and recently released by Associated Builders and Contractors. In 2026, the industry will need to bring in 499,000 new workers as spending picks up in response to presumed lower interest rates. “While the construction workforce has become younger and more plentiful in recent years, the industry still must attract 439,000 new workers in 2025 to balance supply and demand,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “If it fails to do so, industrywide … Read more

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Prices For Nonresidential Construction Materials, Services Climb .5% in February

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The price of materials and services used in nonresidential construction rose .5% in February, following an increase of .7% in January, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data. The producer price index for inputs to new nonresidential construction —a weighted average of all materials and certain services used in new construction — increased for the second month in a row. Meanwhile, the index for new nonresidential building construction — a measure of what contractors report they would charge to put up a specific set of buildings — dipped by .1% in February, following … Read more

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