April Construction Unemployment Rates down in 49 States Year over Year, Says ABC

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In April, for the second month in a row, estimated not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rates fell nationally and in 49 states on a year-over-year basis, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by Associated Builders and Contractors. Mississippi was the only state with an increase, where construction unemployment rose from 9.2% in April 2018 to 10% in the most recent report. As the April 2019 national NSA construction unemployment rate fell 1.8% from a year ago to 4.7%, the construction industry employed 256,000 more workers nationally compared to April 2018, according to BLS numbers. “The April construction […]

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ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Surges in March

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Associated Builders and Contractors reports that its monthly Construction Backlog Indicator expanded to 9.5 months in March 2019, up 0.7 months or 8.8% since February 2019 when CBI stood at 8.8 months. “The U.S. economy has been humming and construction backlog is correspondingly elevated,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While there was a period of weakness in backlog in January, those dynamics, which may very well be seasonal, are no longer affecting the market. The U.S. economy’s strong first quarter appears to have greenlighted more construction projects, translating into ongoing and meaningful increases in construction backlog. “As a forward-looking […]

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Construction Input Prices Continue to Rise, Says ABC

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Construction input prices increased 0.9% in April on a monthly basis and 2.4% compared to the same time last year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Nonresidential input prices rose 0.9% compared to March and are up 2.8% on an annual basis. Among the 11 subcategories, seven experienced price decreases last month, with the largest decreases in natural gas (-8.7%), iron and steel (-1.7%) and steel mill products (-1.7%). The four subcategories that experienced monthly price increases were crude petroleum (+13.9%), unprocessed energy materials (+3.7%), prepared asphalt products (+2.7%) and concrete […]

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ABC Report: Safety Best Practices Can Make Construction Companies 680% Safer

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Associated Builders and Contractors released its 2019 Safety Performance Report today, an annual assessment that furthers the construction industry’s understanding of how to achieve world-class safety through its STEP Safety Management System. Published in conjunction with Construction Safety Week, the report documents the dramatic impact of using proactive safety practices to reduce recordable incidents by up to 85%, making the best-performing companies 680% safer than the industry average. “ABC’s fifth annual report on the use of leading indicators, such as substance abuse programs and toolbox safety talks, confirms that high-performing ABC members have safer construction jobsites,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC […]

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ABC Members Invest $1.6 Billion in Workforce Development Annually, New Survey Finds

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According to the results of Associated Builders and Contractors’ 2019 Workforce Development Survey, ABC members invested $1.6 billion to educate their employees in 2018, up from $1.1 billion in 2013. The 45% increase in spending resulted in nearly twice as many course attendees—more than 980,000—receiving craft, leadership and safety education to advance their careers in commercial and industrial construction. “The increase in spending on education demonstrates ABC member contractors’ commitment to developing employees, which is producing results in recruiting and retaining a skilled, safe and productive workforce,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC’s vice president of health, safety, education and workforce development. […]

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