Nonresidential Construction Spending Projected to Increase through 2023

According to a new report from the American Institute of Architects, the nonresidential building sector is expected to see a healthy rebound through next year after failing to recover with the broader economy last year. The AIA’s Consensus Construction Forecast panel—comprising leading economic forecasters—expects spending on nonresidential building construction to increase by 5.4% in 2022, and accelerate to an additional 6.1% increase in 2023. With a 5% decline in construction spending on buildings last year, only retail and other commercial, industrial and healthcare facilities managed spending increases. This year, only the hotel, religious and public safety sectors are expected to … Read more

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Nonresidential Construction Loses 20,300 Jobs in August, Says ABC

The construction industry lost 3,000 jobs on net in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the monthly setback, the industry has recovered 881,000 (79.2%) of the jobs lost during earlier stages of the pandemic. Nonresidential construction employment declined by 20,300 positions on net, with all three subcategories registering losses for the month. Nonresidential specialty trade contractors lost 9,200 jobs and heavy and civil engineering lost 8,300. Nonresidential building employment dipped by 2,800 positions. The construction unemployment rate fell sharply to 4.6% in August. Unemployment across all … Read more

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AGC Reports Construction Employment Declines in 203 Metro Areas March 2020-March 2021 Despite Homebuilding Boom, Improving Economy

Construction employment decreased from March 2020 to March 2021 in 203, or 57%, of the nation’s metro areas, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data recently released. Association officials said the industry’s broader recovery in many parts of the country is being hampered by rising materials prices, supply chain disruptions and project cancellations.   “Nearly twice as many metros have lost construction jobs as gained them in the past 12 months, even though homebuilding has recovered strongly and the overall economy is in much better shape than it was a year ago,” … Read more

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Construction Starts End 2020 on Sour Note

Total construction starts lost 5% in December, falling to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $784.3 billion. Nonresidential building starts fell 11% during the month, while nonbuilding starts were 5% lower. Residential starts were essentially flat over the month. Starts were lower in three of the four regions in December; the South Central was the only region to post an increase. For the full year, total construction starts fell 10% to $766.3 billion. Nonresidential building starts saw the steepest drop, losing 24%, while nonbuilding starts fell 14%. Residential construction starts ended 2020 up 4% thanks to strong single-family activity. In … Read more

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Dodge Momentum Index Ends 2020 on High Note

The Dodge Momentum Index jumped 9.2% in December to 134.6 (2000=100) from the revised November reading of 123.3. The momentum index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The commercial component of the momentum index rose 14.0%, while the institutional component rose by 0.3%. The gain in the commercial component of the momentum index was heartening even though the increase was mostly the result of a sizeable increase in warehouse … Read more

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