The construction industry registered 449,000 job openings in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey. The JOLTS survey defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 23,000 last month and are up 120,000 from the same time last year. As an indication of a marketplace that still favors employees as opposed to employers, construction workers quit their jobs at a faster rate than they were laid off or discharged in April. … Read more
ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds 19,400 Jobs in May
The construction industry added 36,000 jobs on net in May, 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 expanded by 283,000 jobs, an increase of 3.8%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 19,400 positions on net, with all three subsectors showing growth. Heavy and civil engineering added 11,300 net new jobs, while nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 5,700. Nonresidential building also added 2,400 new positions. The construction unemployment rate decreased to 3.8% in May. Unemployment across all industries remained unchanged at 3.6% in March.
Nonresidential Construction Spending Falls in April, Says ABC
National nonresidential construction spending was down 0.4% in April, 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 $844.4 billion for the month. Despite the monthly setback, nonresidential construction spending is up 6.6% from a year ago. Spending was down on a monthly basis in 12 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was down 0.2%, while public nonresidential construction spending was down 0.7% in April. Spending in the residential category retained momentum in April, rising 0.9% for the month and 18.2% since … Read more
Construction Employment Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Peak in 32 States in April
Construction employment exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 32 states in April, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned, however, that record high job opening levels in the construction sector indicate that many firms are having a hard time finding workers to hire, putting future job gains at risk. Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist noted that government data from the monthly job openings and labor turnover survey show that there were 415,000 job openings in the construction industry at the end of March. That was the highest … Read more
Nonresidential Construction Input Prices Soar 21% From April 2021 to Last Month
Prices of materials and services used in new nonresidential construction leaped nearly 21% in April from year-ago levels, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data. The association urged the Biden administration to provide relief to hard-hit employers by ending tariffs on key construction materials and reconsidering its recently proposed buy America regulations that will make it harder for firms to find and pay for key construction materials. “Nonresidential contractors have endured 12 months of 20% increases in the cost of items they need to build projects,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief … Read more




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