Associated Builders and Contractors will turn 75 on June 1, and to commemorate the milestone, ABC and its members will gather at several commemorative events, which begins with ABC Convention 2025 held Feb. 25-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. “For 75 years, members of Associated Builders and Contractors have built the places where communities across the nation learn, heal, play, live, pray and gather,” said ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman. “ABC and its members have also helped build countless career dreams for their employees, while creating the conditions for them to do their work without incident and go home safer, … Read more
Nonresidential Construction Adds Modest 4,400 Jobs in January
The construction industry added 4,000 jobs on net in January, 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 increased by 178,000 jobs, an increase of 2.2%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 4,400 positions on net, with growth in 2 of the 3 subcategories. Nonresidential specialty trade added the most jobs, increasing by 5,600 positions, followed by nonresidential building, which added 1,100 jobs. Heavy and civil engineering lost 2,300 jobs last month. The construction unemployment rate rose to 6.5% in January. Unemployment across all industries … Read more
Construction Outlook 2025: How AI Revolution Will Influence What We Build, How We Build It
The AI revolution is here, and it’s taking the form of a complete transformation of America’s electrical grid, water infrastructure and manufacturing industry. In his annual industry outlook, Deron Brown, president and chief operating officer for PCL Construction, offers an analysis of how the demand for more data processing and the energy to power it will impact the construction industry in 2025. “Artificial intelligence has already transformed the way many of us live and work. Over the next several years, the construction industry will be kept busy as the world plays catch-up, building the data centers, energy infrastructure and manufacturing … Read more
Monthly Construction Input Prices Unchanged in November, Says ABC
Construction input prices were unchanged in November compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased .1% for the month. Overall construction input prices are .5% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are .3% higher. Prices decreased in two of the three energy subcategories last month. Crude petroleum prices were down 3.3%, while unprocessed energy materials prices were down 2%. Natural gas prices were up 2.6% in November. “Construction input prices are up just .2% through the … Read more
ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Holds Steady in November, Contractor Confidence Surges
Associated Builders and Contractors reported its Construction Backlog Indicator remained unchanged at 8.4 months in November, according to an ABC member survey conducted Nov. 20-Dec. 3. The reading is down .1 months from November 2023. Backlog in the infrastructure category contracted in November, though it is still the only category with higher backlog on a year-over-year basis. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales, profit margins and staffing levels improved in November. The readings for all three components remain above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations for growth over the next six months. “Contractor confidence surged in November even though … Read more