Construction Backlog, Contractor Confidence Outpace Year-Ago Levels in March

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Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.6 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 23 to April 6. The reading is up 0.5 months from February and up 0.1 months from March 2025. View ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index for March. View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data series. The 15% of ABC member contractor respondents under contract to perform work on data centers had significantly longer backlog (10.6 months) than the 85% of contractors who are not (8.3 months). ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for profit margins … Read more

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ABC Contractor Backlog, Confidence Slip in October

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Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.4 months in October, according to an ABC member survey conducted Oct. 20-Nov. 4. The reading is down 0.1 months since September but unchanged from October 2024. Backlog was flat or increased on a monthly basis in each of the three industries considered in this survey. Backlog for respondents that do not primarily operate in any one industry—generally the smallest contractors responding to the survey—fell sharply for the month and stands at just 5.8 months. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index reading for sales was unchanged in October, while the … Read more

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ABC: Nonresidential Construction Spending Falls Sharply in January

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National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.4% in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.190 trillion. Spending was down on a monthly basis in 10 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending fell 0.1%, while public nonresidential construction spending was down 1.0% in January. Healthcare construction decreased slightly from December to January, spending overall in this sector is up 13% from last January. “Despite January’s disappointing data, nonresidential construction spending is still up more than 17% over the past year,” … Read more

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ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds Nearly 12,000 Jobs in December

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The construction industry added 17,000 jobs on net in December, 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 grown by 197,000 jobs, an increase of 2.5%. Last month, nonresidential construction employment increased by 11,900 positions on net, with growth in two of the three subcategories. Nonresidential building added 8,100 positions, while nonresidential specialty trade added 4,300 jobs on net. Heavy and civil engineering lost 500 jobs. The construction unemployment rate fell to 4.4% in December. Unemployment across all industries remained unchanged at 3.7% … Read more

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ABC Construction Backlog and Contractor Confidence Rebound in November

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ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales, profit margins and staffing levels increased in November. All three indices stand above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations of growth over the next six months. Associated Builders and Contractors reports that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.4 months in November, according to an ABC member survey conducted Nov. 19 to Dec. 3. The reading is up 0.3 months from October 2021 and 1.2 months from November 2020. “It’s getting better out there,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While the outlook for construction remains imperfect, extraordinarily low interest rates have created … Read more

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