ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Sinks Below Record Highs in Q3 2018

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2018—Associated Builders and Contractors reports that its Construction Backlog Indicator contracted to 9.04 months during the third quarter of 2018, down 8.4 percent from the second quarter and 4.3 percent lower than the same time last year. Read the rest of entry »

Price of Construction Materials Declines in November; ABC Predicts Moderate Increases in Early 2019

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11—Construction materials prices fell 1.8 percent in November, according to Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today. Despite the monthly decline, materials prices are still 5.3 percent higher than they were on a year-over-year basis. Read the rest of entry »

Nonresidential Construction Employment Slows Down in November, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7—Construction employment expanded by 5,000 net new jobs in November, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data conducted by Associated Builders and Contractors today. During the past 12 months, the industry has added 282,000 net new construction jobs, which translates into a 4 percent increase in total industry-wide employment.  Read the rest of entry »

ABC Predicts Construction Sector Will Remain Strong in 2019

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4—Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu forecasts another strong year for construction sector performance, yet warns about inflationary pressures, according to a 2019 economic outlook published today in Construction Executive magazine. Read the rest of entry »

Nonresidential Spending Rises Modestly in October

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3—National nonresidential spending increased 0.1 percent in October, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released today. Total nonresidential spending for the month stood at $763.8 billion on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, which represents a 7.3 percent increase over the same time last year. Read the rest of entry »

ABC Releases Annual Merit Shop Scorecard

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28—Associated Builders and Contractors released its 2018 Merit Shop Scorecard today, an annual state ranking based on policies and programs that encourage open competition, education and job growth, and award construction contracts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation. Read the rest of entry »

October Construction Unemployment Rates Down in 45 States Year Over Year, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27—Estimated October construction unemployment rates fell nationally and in 45 states on a year-over-year basis, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors. Read the rest of entry »

ABC Elects 2019 National Chair, Executive Committee

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 14―The Associated Builders and Contractors Board of Directors elected Tony Rader, telecom vice president for National Roofing Partners, to serve as the 2019 national chair during the association’s annual Leadership Institute in Las Vegas. Ray Zamora, president of AnchorBuilt Inc., was elected chair-elect, and Steve Klessig, vice president of architecture and engineering, Keller Inc. was elected secretary. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Materials Prices Continue to Rise in October

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9—Construction prices rose 0.5 percent in October and are 7.9 percent high than at the same time a year ago, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data conducted by Associated Builders and Contractors. Prices for nonresidential construction inputs also increased 0.5 percent on a month-over-month basis and are up by more than 8 percent on a year-over-year basis.   Read the rest of entry »

Construction Employment Picks Up in October, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2—The U.S. construction industry added 30,000 net new jobs in October, according to an analysis from the Associated Builders and Contractors of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Read the rest of entry »