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, Sept. 6—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement on the National Labor Relations Board’s new joint employer proposed rule under the National Labor Relations Act.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2—The construction industry added 16,000 jobs on net in August, 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 311,000 jobs or 4.2%.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1—National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.8% in July, 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 $847.6 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30—The construction industry had 375,000 job openings in 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 any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 22,000 last month and are up 38,000 from the same time last year.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement from Ben Brubeck, ABC vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs, on the 11th Circuit Court decision on vaccination mandates for federal contractors announced on Friday evening.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement in response to the publication of a proposed rule, Federal Acquisition Regulation: Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects, implementing President Biden’s Executive Order 14063, which requires federal construction contracts of $35 million or more to be subjected to controversial project labor agreements.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1—On the first day of Suicide Prevention Month 2022, Associated Builders and Contractors calls on the entire construction industry to strengthen total human health among its workers and decrease the number of deaths by suicide.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12—Associated Builders and Contractors released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed Senate Democrats’ $740 billion tax-and-spend bill.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11—Construction input prices decreased 1.8% in July 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 decreased 1.8% for the month as well.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the members of its third annual Tech Alliance—a consortium of firms that create construction technology and innovative solutions for ABC contractor members, the majority of which primarily perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement on Senate Democrats’ “Inflation Reduction Act,” a $740 billion tax-and-spending spree scheduled to pass in a partisan political process at a time when our economy is pointed toward recession.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5—The construction industry added 32,000 jobs on net in July, 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 311,000 jobs, or 4.2%.

WASHINGTON, August 9—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell 0.2 months in July and stands at 8.7 months, according to an ABC member survey conducted July 20 to Aug. 3. The reading is up 0.2 months from July 2021.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4—Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Legislative & Political Affairs Kristen Swearingen issued the following statement regarding today’s vote on a Congressional Review Act resolution introduced by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, to overturn the Biden administration’s National Environmental Policy Act rule:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2—The construction industry had 334,000 job openings in 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 any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 71,000 last month but are up 13,000 from the same time last year.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1—National nonresidential construction spending was down by 0.5% in June, 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 $829.4 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3—The not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate plunged 3.8% in June 2022 from June 2021, down from 7.5% to 3.7%. Meanwhile, all 50 states had lower unemployment rates over the same period, according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors. Ten states had an estimated construction unemployment rate under 2%; the highest unemployment rate was 6.5% in New Mexico.

WASHINGTON, July 28—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement regarding the Senate Democrats’ reckless tax and spending spree.

WASHINGTON, July 28—The U.S. economy contracted at a 0.9% annualized rate in the second quarter of 2022, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

WASHINGTON, July 14—Construction input prices increased 1.9% in June 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 increased 1.8% for the month.

WASHINGTON, July 13—Associated Builders and Contractors today urged Congressional Democrats not to raise taxes on small, individual and family-owned businesses as part of any effort to enact a partisan reconciliation bill.  

WASHINGTON, July 12— Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell 0.1 months in June and stands at 8.9 months, according to an ABC member survey conducted June 21 to July 5. The reading is up 0.4 months from June 2021.

WASHINGTON, July 8—The construction industry added 13,000 jobs on net in June, 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 292,000 jobs, an increase of 4.0%. 

WASHINGTON, July 6—The construction industry registered 434,000 job openings in 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. The JOLTS survey defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 6,000 in May but are up 126,000 from the same month last year.

WASHINGTON, July 1—National nonresidential construction spending was down by 0.6% 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 $832.5 billion for the month.

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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