RALEIGH, N.C. — FMI, a provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, announces the release of the Construction Outlook: Third Quarter 2011 Report. Overall, in FMI's latest forecast for construction put in place calls for 2% growth in 2011 and 6% for 2012 to $886.2 billion in total construction. In today's economy that sounds like ambitious growth, but in constant 2006 dollars, that is only 3% growth for 2012 and a 1% drop in construction for 2011. To put it in perspective, in 2012 we will nearly return to 2003 levels of construction in … Read more

Construction employment at the state level was mixed for the year and month as 24 states lost jobs between July and August, while 26 states and D.C. added jobs between August 2010 and August 2011, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. The relatively even divide between gainers and losers reflects continued weak demand for construction services that has been contributing to flat employment levels for much of the past year, association officials noted. “There is no clear pattern of improvement in construction employment, although the industry is no longer in free … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Institute of Architects, the Associated General Contractors of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a joint statement urging policymakers to take immediate steps to create jobs in the design and construction industry. On the eve of the Obama Administration's major jobs initiative, the AIA and AGC, which together represent nearly 110,000 architects and general contractors, said the effort is designed to highlight how vital the design and construction industry is to the health of the entire economy. The industry employs more than 5 million people and has suffered from unemployment of one and … Read more