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, April 3—National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.4% in February, 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 $982.2 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, March 30—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement applauding the bipartisan U.S. House of Representative passage of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act.

WASHINGTON, March 28—Associated Builders and Contractors member Aric Dreher, assistant general manager, Cianbro, headquartered in Pittsfield, Maine, today testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit during the hearing “Reviewing the Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”

WASHINGTON, March 30—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced it is the 2023 recipient of Construction Working Minds’ Mental Health Visionary Award for its leadership in strengthening total human health in the construction industry. ABC received the award from the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention and United Suicide Survivors International at the 2023 Construction Working Minds Summit, which took place March 27-29, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri.

WASHINGTON, March 23—Associated Builders and Contractors today praised the Wyoming legislature and Gov. Mark Gordon for enacting SF 147, the Fair and Open Competition Act, which protects Wyoming taxpayers by ensuring all of the state’s skilled construction workforce can compete on a level playing field for contracts to build state, state-assisted and local public works projects. Once in effect on July 1, Wyoming will be the 25th state with an active policy restricting the use of government-mandated project labor agreements.

WASHINGTON, March 20—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the winners of the 2023 ABC Construction Management Competition and the National Craft Championships. The winners were honored on the last day of ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 17.

WASHINGTON, March 20—Associated Builders and Contractors has announced the winners of its annual Construction Management Competition, which were honored at ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, March 15-17. A total of 21 teams of undergraduate students from colleges and universities nationwide competed this year, and Florida International University was named the overall winner of the 2023 competition, with the highest cumulative points in the five competition categories.

WASHINGTON, March 20—Associated Builders and Contractors has announced the winners of the 2023 National Craft Championships. The winners were honored at ABC’s Careers in Construction Awards ceremony during ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, March 15-17.

WASHINGTON, March 15—Construction input prices expanded 0.4% in February compared to the previous month, 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 also rose 0.4% for the month.

WASHINGTON, March 10—The construction industry added 24,000 jobs on net in February, 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 risen by 249,000 jobs, an increase of 3.2%.

WASHINGTON, March 8—The construction industry reported 248,000 job openings in January, 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 fell sharply last month, down 240,000 on a monthly basis and 148,000 from the same time last year.

WASHINGTON, March 14—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 9.2 months in February, according to an ABC member survey conducted Feb. 20 to March 6. The reading is 1.2 months higher than in February 2022.

WASHINGTON, March 7—A diverse group of 17 construction and business associations today urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to ensure taxpayer investments in the semiconductor industry are not needlessly constrained by anti-competitive and inflationary project labor agreement schemes imposed through after-the-fact regulatory action by the Biden administration.

ORLANDO, Florida, March 17—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced award winners in Excellence in Construction;® Safety Excellence; Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Excellence and Contractor of the Year. The winners were announced and honored March 16 during ABC Convention 2023 at the 33rd Excellence in Construction Awards Gala.

WASHINGTON, March 7—Associated Builders and Contractors today released its fifth annual Top Performers publication, which lists its contractor members that build the country’s most enduring, innovative, high-quality construction projects, ranked by work hours. 

WASHINGTON, March 1—National nonresidential construction spending increased by 0.3% in January, 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 $968.7 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement ahead of congressional Democrats’ reintroduction of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which is set for Feb. 28. Among its many harmful provisions, the PRO Act would violate workers’ free choice and privacy rights, force unions on employees who have voted against such representation, cost millions of American jobs and threaten vital supply chains.

ORLANDO, Florida, March 17—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the 49 winning contractors of the 2022 National Safety Excellence Awards for their remarkable achievements in leadership, safety and innovation. The awards were presented at the 33rd annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 16.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28—Associated Builders and Contractors today voiced its strong support for the Fair and Open Competition Act (H.R. 1209  / S. 537), which has been reintroduced in the 118th Congress by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., in the U.S. Senate, and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., in the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 27.

ORLANDO, Florida, March 17—Associated Builders and Contractors today named Performance Contractors Inc., headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, its 2023 Contractor of the Year. This award recognizes member companies for corporate integrity and commitment to safety, professional development and expert workforce development. The award was presented at the 33rd annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 16.

ORLANDO, Florida, March 17—Associated Builders and Contractors has announced the winners of the 2022 National Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Excellence Awards, an annual recognition of ABC members that display exemplary IDE leadership in their company, workforce, supply chain and community with best-in-class recruitment policies, retention practices and training and mentoring programs. The winners were honored at the 33rd annual Excellence in Construction® Awards at ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 16.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28—Associated Builders and Contractors member Roy Heim, president of Heim Construction Co. Inc., Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, today testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee during the hearing “From Nothing to Something: The Story of the American Dream.”

ORLANDO, Florida, March 17—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the winners of the Excellence in Construction® Awards—82 construction projects worth a total of $2.14 billion—at the 33rd annual EIC Awards Gala during ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 16. Winners of the EIC Innovation, Design-Build and Productivity awards were also announced. The EIC awards are the construction industry’s leading national competition that honors general and specialty contractors for world-class, safe and innovative construction projects from across the country.

ORLANDO, Florida, March 16—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the winners of its annual, national Construction Workforce Awards, which includes Craft Instructor of the Year, Craft Professional of the Year and Young Professional of the Year. The winners were announced March 15 at ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida.

ORLANDO, Florida, March 16—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced Matt Terry, executive vice president for TDIndustries, Dallas, received ABC’s 2023 Young Professional of the Year Award during ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 15.

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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