Construction Employment Rises in 45 States, D.C. from August 2017 Year-Over-Year

45 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between August 2017 and August 2018, while 33 states added construction jobs between July and August, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials welcomed the job gains but noted that the numbers would have been higher if contractors could only find more qualified workers to hire. “Only three states experienced a decline in construction employment over the past year, the fewest number with a decrease since May 2015,” said chief economist Ken Simonson. “These results show that contractors still expect … Read more

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NCCER Releases Directives to Revitalize U.S. Workforce Development System

ALACHUA, Fla. — At the crossroads of a thriving future society and innovation lies the nation’s construction industry, where everything begins. The backbone of our society rests on the craft professionals who build our hospitals and schools, wire electricity within our homes and bring us indoor plumbing. The perception of craft professionals has become one of low- or middle-skill workers when, the reality is, the world as we know it would not exist without their expertise. “Craftsmanship is defined as ‘the beautiful or impressive quality of something that has been made using a lot of skill’. Construction craft professionals exhibit … Read more

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Construction Employment Rises in 43 States, D.C. from June 2017 to June 2018

Forty-three states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between June 2017 and June 2018, while 32 states and D.C. added construction jobs between May and June, according to a recent analysis released by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials cautioned that continued job gains may depend on improving the training and education pipeline for workers to enter the industry. “Construction is proving to be a reliable source of employment growth in nearly every state, and contractors are eager to hire even more workers,” said chief economist Ken Simonson. “But finding qualified workers … Read more

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Build America by Hiring Veterans

NCCER and Build Your Future recently hosted Operation: Build America, a military hiring event, with NextOp in Houston, Texas. The day-long event focused on connecting industry and veterans by providing networking opportunities and expert speakers from the Department of Labor, U.S. Army, NCCER, NextOp and more. BYF’s military recruitment initiative, Hard Hat Heroes, also provides an online credentialing portal, connections to military-friendly companies and job placement through partnership with NextOp. The credentialing portal allows veterans to submit their training to receive NCCER industry-recognized credentials and has 90 military specialties aligned with the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps branches. … Read more

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Construction Employers Add 228K Jobs Throughout Year, Industry Unemployment Rate Lowest Ever for Month

Construction employment increased by 228,000 jobs over the past year despite a weather-related dip last month, and the industry’s unemployment rate fell to 7.4 percent, the lowest yet for March, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials called for revitalizing and adequately funding career and technical education and training programs to ensure that employment in the high-paying industry would continue to grow. “Construction employment indicators are still signaling strong demand on an annual basis, even though unusually bad weather in several regions probably depressed hiring in March,” said Ken Simonson, … Read more

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