Business

WHAT WE LEARNED IN MAY: TRADE POLICY CONTINUES TO CLOUD OUTLOOK Construction-specific economic data released in May provide mixed signals. Nonresidential construction spending fell sharply in April, and industrywide job openings are down significantly over the past year. At the...

WASHINGTON, May 15—Construction input prices decreased 0.1% in April compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.2%...

The phone vibrates at 2 a.m. A project manager's voice, tense with urgency, reports a water main break at the largest jobsite. The foundation, poured just yesterday, sits submerged. In the dark hours before dawn, dozens of questions demand immediate answers: How to notify the con...

WASHINGTON, May 13—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to a 20-month high of 8.7 months in April, according to an ABC member survey conducted April 22 to May 6. The reading is up 0.3 months since April 2024. View ABC’s ...

WASHINGTON, May 2—The U.S. Department of Labor’s May 1 announcement says it will pause enforcement of the 2024 Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act final rule in current enforcement matters while the agency reviews this regulation. ...

WASHINGTON, May 2—The construction industry added 11,000 jobs in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has grown by 143,000 jobs, an increas...

WASHINGTON, May 1—National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.5% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.2...

The 2020s have been a bumpy ride for the construction industry, and it’s unlikely the path will smooth anytime soon. Economic, political and environmental uncertainties continue to cloud the outlook. The only sure thing for construction firm leaders is the need to recognize and t...

WASHINGTON, April 30—The national March 2025 not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate was 5.4%, unchanged from March 2024, according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors. The analy...

WASHINGTON, April 29—The construction industry had 248,000 job openings on the last day of March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as ...