Economy

2019 construction spending is expected to continue rising, up 4.8 percent, although at a slower pace than 2018’s 6.5 percent growth, according to Atradius’s annual Market Monitor for the global construction industry.

Total construction starts are expected to remain flat at $808.3 billion in 2019, with nonresidential building square footage dropping 4 percent to 1,133 million square feet, according to the 2019 Construction Outlook presented by Dodge Data & Analytics Chief Economist Robert Murray in late October.

Following 5 percent growth in total U.S. engineering and construction spending in 2017 and 2017, FMI predicts another increase of 3 percent this year.