Construction firms added jobs in 38 states and the District of Columbia between November 2013 and November 2014 while construction employment increased in 26 states and D.C. between October and November, according to a recent analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the list of states gaining jobs has varied significantly from month to month as the market remains extremely variable. “Construction job growth remains positive overall but volatile,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Although more than three-quarters of states have added construction jobs from year-earlier levels throughout 2014, … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation has released the November 2014 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry. Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $903-billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 64.2, an increase from the October index of 60.4 and the highest level since May.   When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent Valerie Hayes Jester, President, Brandywine Capital Associates, Inc., said, “The … Read more