As part of its efforts to narrow the skills gap in the construction industry, the Build Your Future campaign recently launched an interactive Craft Labor Map. The goal of this new resource is to provide industry recruits and craft professionals with a forecast of the labor demand in industrial and commercial construction. Using data voluntarily provided by owners, contractors and unions by the Construction Labor Market Analyzer, BYF’s Craft Labor Map provides users a craft-by-craft breakdown of the expected demand for craft professionals in each state for the next three years. This data is updated quarterly to ensure that the … Read more

Prices for construction materials jumped in February, driven by extreme increases in items used in new housing and nonresidential building renovations, according to an analysis of new federal figures released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the increased materials prices are hitting contractors struggling to recover from a years-long downturn in construction demand. “For the second month in a row, contractors endured outsized price hikes for gypsum wallboard, lumber and insulation materials,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the construction trade association. “In addition, soaring diesel prices mean contractors are paying more for fuel they buy … Read more