ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator is the only economic indicator that reflects the amount of work that will be performed by commercial and industrial construction contractors in the months ahead. The Construction Confidence Index is a diffusion index that signals construction contractors’ expectations for sales, profit margins and staffing levels. View the methodology for both indicators. 

 

News Releases

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News Releases

WASHINGTON, July 6—The construction industry had 366,000 job openings on the last day of May, 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 any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 19,000 last month but are down by 26,000 from the same time last year.

WASHINGTON, July 3—National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in May, 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 $1.06 trillion.

WASHINGTON, June 14—Construction input prices fell 0.6% in May compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices declined 0.5% for the month.

WASHINGTON, June 13—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator remained unchanged at 8.9 months in May, according to an ABC member survey conducted May 20 to June 7. The reading is 0.1 months lower than in May 2022.

WASHINGTON, June 2—The construction industry added 25,000 jobs on net in May, 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 increased by 192,000 jobs, an increase of 2.5%.

WASHINGTON, June 1—National nonresidential construction spending expanded 1.9% in April, 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 $1.05 trillion.

WASHINGTON, May 31—The construction industry had 383,000 job openings in April, 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 any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 68,000 last month but are down by 35,000 from the same time last year.

WASHINGTON, May 30—ABC issued the following statement today in support of the recently announced bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

WASHINGTON, May 25—Associated Builders and Contractors issued the following statement from Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck on the U.S. Supreme Court’s May 25 ruling narrowing the scope of “waters of the United States” in the Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency case.

WASHINGTON, May 25—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced that Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development, has been appointed by the U.S. Department of Labor to a third term as a representative for U.S. construction employers on the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health.

WASHINGTON, May 11—Construction input prices increased 0.2% in April compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices rose 0.4% for the month.

WASHINGTON, May 5—The construction industry added 15,000 jobs on net 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 expanded by 205,000 jobs, an increase of 2.7%.

WASHINGTON, May 3—It would take 12 years for federal and state government-registered apprenticeship programs to educate the more than half a million workers the construction industry needs to hire in 2023, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of recently released U.S. Department of Labor data. ABC estimates that the construction industry’s federal and state government-registered apprenticeship system yielded just 45,000 completers of four-to-five-year apprenticeship programs in 2022.

WASHINGTON, May 2—The construction industry had 341,000 job openings in 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 any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 63,000 last month and are down by 72,000 from the same time last year.

WASHINGTON, May 1—National nonresidential construction spending increased by 0.7% 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 $997.1 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, May 3—The not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate dropped 0.4% in March 2023 from a year ago, down from 6% to 5.6%, according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors. Thirty-two states had lower unemployment rates over the same period, five were unchanged and 13 states were higher.

WASHINGTON, April 19—Associated Builders and Contractors announced its strong support for the Employee Rights Act, which was introduced today in the 118th Congress by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga.

WASHINGTON, April 28—Associated Builders and Contractors today released its 2023 Safety Performance Report, an annual guide to safety best practices on construction jobsites and comprehensive study of the impact of the STEP Safety Management System.

WASHINGTON, April 13—According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of 2022 state union membership data published recently by UnionStats.com, at least 9 out of 10 construction workers in private industry do not belong to a union in 26 states, up from 24 states in 2021. Nationwide, a record 88.3% of construction workers do not belong to a union, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from 87.4% in 2021.

WASHINGTON, April 13—Construction input prices increased 0.2% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices rose 0.4% for the month.

WASHINGTON, April 12—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced that 45 of its contractor members have been named an Accredited Quality Contractor, a prestigious credential recognizing commitment to corporate responsibility, for at least 25 of the past 30 years. ABC is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Accredited Quality Contractors program in 2023.

WASHINGTON, April 7—The construction industry lost 9,000 jobs on net in March, 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 196,000 jobs, an increase of 2.5%. 

WASHINGTON, April 11—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 8.7 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 3. The reading is 0.4 months higher than in March 2022.

WASHINGTON, April 4—The construction industry supported 412,000 job openings in February, 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 any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 129,000 last month, but are down 9,000 from the same time last year.

ABC construction economic releases are published according to this schedule in 2023

For media inquiries, please contact Erika Walter, ABC director of media relations, at [email protected].

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