January Construction Unemployment Rates Improve in 43 States from 2015

Unusually mild weather in much of the country continued into the first part of January but ended for the East near the end of the month with the brutal storm dubbed “Snowzilla.” The storm did not hit until after the reference week used for surveying employment and unemployment. This undoubtedly helped to temper the normal rise in the not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rates for the nation, which rose from a relatively low December rate of 7.5 percent to 8.5 percent in January. This is the lowest January national construction unemployment rate going back to the beginning of the series in January 2000. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Backlog Expands Nearly 3 Percent at the Close of 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 22 – The South posted the highest backlog in the history of the Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Read the rest of entry »

Construction Material Prices Continue Free Fall in February

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 15— Construction input prices fell for the eighth consecutive month during February 2016 according to an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Read the rest of entry »

Construction Employment Growth Slow but Steady

WASHINGTON, D.C., March, 4—The U.S. construction industry added 19,000 net new jobs in February according to an analysis of today's U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment release by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Year-over-year, the industry has added 253,000 net new jobs, an increase of 4 percent. The nonresidential sector added only 2,800 net new jobs in February after adding 3,600 jobs in January (revised upward from 2,900). Nonresidential specialty trade contractors lost jobs for the second consecutive month, while residential specialty trade contractors added 13,800 net new jobs in February—more than the other four subsectors combined. The civil and heavy engineering category continued its tepid growth, adding just 700 net new jobs for the month. Read the rest of entry »

Nonresidential Spending Regains Momentum in January

Nonresidential construction spending crested the $700 billion mark on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis in January for the first time since March 2009, according to analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Nonresidential construction spending expanded 2.5 percent on a monthly basis and 12.3 percent on a yearly basis, totaling $701.9 billion. The Census Bureau upwardly revised December’s estimate from $681.2 billion to $684.5 billion, though they downgraded November’s figure from $683.7 to $680.5 million. Private nonresidential construction spending increased by 1 percent for the month, while its public counterpart expanded by 4.6 percent. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Material Prices Continue to Plunge in January

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 17—Construction input prices fell by 0.6 percent during January 2016 according to an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index released today by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).  Construction input prices are down 2.7 percent from January 2015 and have now decreased on a year-over-year basis for 14 consecutive months. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Unemployment Rose in January

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 5—The U.S. construction industry’s unemployment rate rose to 8.5 percent in January, the highest level since March of 2015, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The unemployment rate across all industries shed a tenth of a percentage point and now sits at 4.9 percent, the lowest level since February of 2008. Read the rest of entry »

December Construction Unemployment Rates Improve in 32 States from 2014

Unusually mild weather in much of the country persisted in December benefiting construction and reducing the size of the normal seasonal increase in construction unemployment rates. December marked the warmest, or one of the warmest, Decembers on record for most cities in the eastern half of the country. Not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rates for the country and 32 states were lower than in December 2014. The construction unemployment rates for three states—Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska—were unchanged from a year ago. Read the rest of entry »

Nonresidential Spending Falls Again in December

WASHINGTON, D.C. Feb. 1—Nonresidential construction spending dipped for a second consecutive month, falling 0.4 percent on a monthly basis in December, according to analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Nonresidential construction spending totaled $681.2 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis. November’s nonresidential construction spending estimate was revised lower by 0.6 percent to $683.7 billion.  Read the rest of entry »

Tepid GDP Growth a Sign Construction Spending May Sputter; Decline Unlikely

Real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by just 0.7 percent (seasonally adjusted annual rate) during the fourth quarter of 2015, according to an analysis of the Bureau of Economic Analysis data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). This paltry growth follows a 2 percent increase during the year’s third quarter and a 3.9 percent increase during the second quarter. For the year, GDP expanded by 2.4 percent, matching the rate of growth seen in 2014. Read the rest of entry »