Retention

Managing a new employee can be a challenge. A newcomer doesn’t know your company’s environment, routines, or do’s and don’ts. They’re hungry for validation, and you’re likely too busy to offer much. You have work to do, and getting another person up to speed adds more weight to y...

An experienced tradesperson who steps onto a property to address one problem will probably spot three more issues the owner should address, so there's always entrepreneurial value in learning multiple skills. Consider the landscaper who can offer lighting services to enhance the...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1—Associated Builders and Contractors today issued the following statement responding to the International Longshoremen’s Association strike at East and Gulf Coast ports. “ABC urges President Joe Biden to invoke his powers under the Taft-Hartley Act to restore o...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4—The construction industry had 248,000 job openings on the last day of July, 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 an...

The current construction industry outlook indicates that challenges with workforce supply and demand will continue well into the future. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, “The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 501,000 additional workers on t...

WASHINGTON, July 30—The construction industry had 295,000 job openings on the last day of June, 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 an...

A company that has been around for nearly 150 years, it’s safe to say, knows something about employee recruitment and retention. Founded as a mechanical contractor by two sons of an Irish immigrant in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1884, H.C. Blake Co. today is on its seventh generatio...

The U.S. construction sector is at a crossroads, balancing surging infrastructure demands with stagnant processes and persistent headwinds that diminish profitability. Perhaps most prominently, infrastructure projects are still reeling from rising financing costs and inflationar...

Contractors have been contending with labor shortages for several years. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this will materially improve any time soon. Two trends indicate that contractors and their supply-chain partners will need to get even more creative to successfully naviga...

To keep pace with demand, contractors may need to hire 500,000 more workers this year above their normal pace of hiring, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. This at a time when many businesses still struggle to hire skilled workers. The data shows there’s a tight l...