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

ORLANDO, Florida, March 16—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced Jared Foster, senior general superintendent at Gaylor Electric, Noblesville, Indiana, is the 2023 Craft Professional of the Year. Foster was honored at ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 15.

ORLANDO, Florida, March 16—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced that Gabriel Galvan, Construction Prep Academy Instructor, ABC Indiana/Kentucky Chapter, Indianapolis, is the 2023 Craft Instructor of the Year. Galvan was honored at ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 15.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16—Construction input prices rose 1.3% in January, 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 increased 1.1% for the month.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14—Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined 0.2 months to 9.0 in January, according to an ABC member survey conducted Jan. 20 to Feb. 3. The reading is 1.0 month higher than in January 2022.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7—Associated Builders and Contractors President and CEO Michael Bellaman released the following statement responding to President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9—The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 546,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2023 to meet the demand for labor, according to a proprietary model developed by Associated Builders and Contractors.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3—The construction industry added 25,000 jobs on net in January, 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 294,000 jobs, an increase of 3.9%.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2—Construction Executive, the magazine of the business of construction that is published by Associated Builders and Contractors, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month by unveiling a completely redesigned version of the print magazine with its January-February 2023 issue as well as a new, dynamic content mix on its online platforms.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1—National nonresidential construction spending decreased by 0.5% in December, 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 $943.5 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1—The construction industry had 413,000 job openings in December, 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 82,000 for the month and are up by 54,000 from December 2021.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6—The not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate dropped 0.6% in December 2022 from a year ago, down from 5% to 4.4%, 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, Iowa and Missouri were unchanged and 16 states were higher.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19—Associated Builders and Contractors released the following remarks today regarding the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual Union Members Summary. According to 2022 data, the percent of construction industry wage and salary workers belonging to unions dropped to a record low of 11.7%, a decline from 12.6% in 2021.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18—Construction input prices fell 2.7% in December 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 declined 2.7% for the month.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10—Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator remained unchanged at 9.2 months in December, according to an ABC member survey conducted Dec. 20, 2022, to Jan. 5, 2023. The reading is one month higher than in December 2021.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6—The construction industry added 28,000 jobs on net in December, 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 231,000 jobs or 3.1%.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9—Associated Builders and Contractors and leading global construction management software provider Procore, headquartered in Carpinteria, California, today announced they will expand their years-long relationship through a strategic partnership that will provide ABC members with trusted, innovative technologies and solutions to help better develop their people, win more work, create safer jobsites and increase profitability. Procore is the only ABC strategic partner that is a technology solutions provider.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4—The construction industry registered 388,000 job openings in November, 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 declined by 2,000 last month but are up 22,000 from the same time last year.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3—National nonresidential construction spending grew 0.9% in November, 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 $930.1 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30— Associated Builders and Contractors today issued the following statement from Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule revising the definition of “waters of the United States.”

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15—For the fourth time, Florida claimed the top spot in Associated Builders and Contractors’ eighth annual Merit Shop Scorecard, a ranking of all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on policies and programs that strengthen career pathways in construction, encourage workforce development and advocate for fair and open competition on taxpayer-funded construction projects.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9—Construction input prices declined 0.9% in November 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 fell 0.8% for the month.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13—Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 9.2 months in November, according to an ABC member survey conducted Nov. 21 to Dec. 6. The reading is 0.8 months higher than in November 2021.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2—The construction industry added 20,000 jobs on net in November, 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 248,000 jobs, an increase of 3.3%. 

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1—National nonresidential construction spending was down by 0.3% in October, 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 $898.4 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30—The construction industry had 371,000 job openings in October, 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 52,000 last month and are down 21,000 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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