New Association Survey Finds Mix of Layoffs, Hiring Pickup in May

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Construction employment declined in the District of Columbia and every state except South Dakota in April, an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government data shows. At the same time, the association released a new survey that finds that rising project cancellations are forcing many firms to furlough or terminate employees even as federal relief measures help avoid further job losses. Association officials urged Washington officials to act quickly on measures like new infrastructure funding, liability protections for employers and extending the Paycheck Protection Program. “Today’s state employment report shows how widespread—and deep—the job losses have … Read more

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From All Systems Go to Deep Recession in 1 Month, Reports ABC

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Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu warned the economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak would be quite different for the nonresidential construction industry compared to previous recessions, according to a recently published economic outlook. Normally, construction backlog, which stood at 8.2 months in February, according to ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator, safeguards the nonresidential construction sector from the early stages of economic downturns, making it the last segment to enter a recession. However, given project shutdowns in parts of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California, as well as social distancing and other health requirements, that hasn’t proved true. “Projects are being … Read more

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SEAA Member Companies Receive Safety Excellence, Craft Training Awards

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The Steel Erectors Association of America announces the recipients of the 2020 Safety Excellence Award and Craft Training Recognition Award. “SEAA members represent all sizes of structural steel erectors, many of them with exemplary training and safety practices,” said Bryan McClure, chairman of SEAA’s Safety and Education Committee. “We are pleased to establish this recognition of companies that are doing the hard work of preparing and protecting their employees. These awards demonstrate how SEAA members are shaping our industry for a better future,” he said. For both awards, World Class was issued to the highest achieving companies. Premier is the … Read more

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Christman Construction Wins AGC Innovation Award

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Lansing, Michigan-based Christman Constructors was named the most innovative construction firm in the country for developing an iOS-based application that brings job-placement logistics into the 21st century. The new application, CopperWorks, was created to meet the need to modernize manpower management in the building trades industry while addressing industry-wide workforce shortage. As a result, Christman Constructors was named as the grand prize winner of the AGC Innovation Awards, sponsored by Autodesk. Christman’s software identifies and directly contacts an individual or thousands of available skilled trades professionals in a designated region or state with just the tap of a finger. The … Read more

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Construction Starts Show Sharp Contraction in April

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Total construction starts declined 25% from March to April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $572.2 billion as COVID-19 and economic recession hit the construction sector. In April, nonresidential building starts fell 37% from March, while residential dropped 25%. The decline in nonbuilding construction starts was more tepid, falling just 5% due to strong activity in streets and bridges. On a year-to-date basis through four months of 2020, total construction starts were 8% lower than the same period in 2019. Nonresidential building starts were off 14%, while nonbuilding starts were down 15%. Residential starts, meanwhile, were up 2% on … Read more

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