Industry Unemployment Rate Drops to 13.3 Percent Construction employers added 26,000 jobs between August and September as the industry's unemployment rate dropped to 13.3 percent, according to an analysis of new federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the increase is the first significant change in construction-employment levels since February and reflects growing private sector demand for nonresidential construction projects. “These numbers give us a taste for how investing in construction activity can really boost overall employment figures,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer. “However, the real question is whether […]

RALEIGH, N.C. — FMI, a provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, announces the release of the Construction Outlook: Third Quarter 2011 Report. Overall, in FMI's latest forecast for construction put in place calls for 2% growth in 2011 and 6% for 2012 to $886.2 billion in total construction. In today's economy that sounds like ambitious growth, but in constant 2006 dollars, that is only 3% growth for 2012 and a 1% drop in construction for 2011. To put it in perspective, in 2012 we will nearly return to 2003 levels of construction in […]

Construction employment at the state level was mixed for the year and month as 24 states lost jobs between July and August, while 26 states and D.C. added jobs between August 2010 and August 2011, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. The relatively even divide between gainers and losers reflects continued weak demand for construction services that has been contributing to flat employment levels for much of the past year, association officials noted. “There is no clear pattern of improvement in construction employment, although the industry is no longer in free […]