Four Legislative Priorities Focus Exclusively On Creating Jobs in Design, Construction Sector WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Institute of Architects unveiled a 2012 legislative agenda focusing on creating jobs in the hard-hit design and construction industry. “Architects are by and large small businesspeople: ninety-five percent of architecture firms in the United States employ 50 or fewer people,” said AIA President Jeff Potter, FAIA, himself a small business owner. “Meeting the challenges our communities face — lost jobs, outdated and unsafe infrastructure, abandoned buildings and neighborhoods, rising energy costs, and distressed main streets — demands a strong design and construction industry that is … Read more

Construction employment increased in December by 17,000 driven by gains in nonresidential construction employment, according to an analysis of new federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said construction employment likely benefited from unseasonably warm weather across much of the country that extended the construction season. “Nonresidential construction is clearly driving last month's employment gains,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “But it is too early to tell whether those gains came because the weather was good enough for crews to keep working well into December or because demand is truly rebounding.” Total … Read more