Construction Unemployment Rates Improve in 32 States Year-Over-Year, ABC Says

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 31—September not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rates improved in 32 states and the nation on a year-over-year basis, according to analysis released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The national NSA construction unemployment rate of 5.2 percent was 0.3 percent lower than a year ago, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Read the rest of entry »

Construction Unemployment Rates Improve in 32 States Year-Over-Year

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 31—September not seasonally adjusted (NSA) construction unemployment rates improved in 32 states and the nation on a year-over-year basis, according to analysis released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The national NSA construction unemployment rate of 5.2 percent was 0.3 percent lower than a year ago, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Read the rest of entry »

Nonresidential Fixed Investment Expands Again During Solid Third Quarter, ABC Says

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 28—Real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 2.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate during the third quarter of 2016, according to an analysis of Bureau of Economic Analysis data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). This follows a 1.4 percent increase during the second quarter and represents the tenth consecutive quarter of economic expansion. Read the rest of entry »

ABC Announces 2016 Young Professional of the Year Finalists

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 26 – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) continued its celebration of Careers in Construction Month today by announcing three finalists for its annual Young Professional of the Year Award. Finalists were chosen based on their career achievement, leadership and vision for the future of the commercial and industrial construction industry from a field of more than 30 nominations representing 20 ABC chapters across the country. Read the rest of entry »

Associated Builders and Contractors Applauds Court’s Injunction Against ‘Blacklisting’ Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 25– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today applauded a preliminary injunction against the Obama administration’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces final rule, commonly referred to as “blacklisting,” issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas late Monday night. The preliminary injunction prevents the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council from implementing the rule, which was scheduled to go into effect on Oct. 25. Read the rest of entry »

Associated Builders and Contractors Announces Seven-Figure Ad Buy

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 20– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced it has made a seven-figure ad buy comprised of issue ads and express advocacy in six states. The ad buy will include radio and statewide digital ads in support of pro-free enterprise candidates in Florida, Indiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Input Prices Begin to Trend Higher

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 14—Both nonresidential and overall construction input prices increased in September, with natural gas and crude petroleum prices bouncing back, according to analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Producer Price Index released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The BLS data show that nonresidential input prices expanded 0.3 percent on a monthly basis in September, and overall construction prices also rose 0.3 percent on a monthly basis after declining 0.2 percent in August.   Read the rest of entry »

Contractor Confidence Dips in First Half of 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT. 13–The average contractor is less confident regarding business prospects for the next six months, but the nonresidential construction recovery is anticipated to remain in place, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Construction Confidence Index (CCI) released today. The diffusion index measures forward-looking construction industry expectations in sales, profit margins and staffing levels, with readings above 50 indicating growth.   Read the rest of entry »

Associated Builders and Contractors Files Suit Against ‘Blacklisting’ Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 7– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and its ABC Southeast Texas Chapter announced today that they have filed a lawsuit challenging the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces final rule, commonly referred to as the “blacklisting” rule, which was released Aug. 25, 2016. The legal challenge was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division, by the Texas office of Littler Mendelson, P.C., ABC National’s general counsel. The firm will represent ABC, the ABC Southeast Texas Chapter and the National Association of Security Companies (NASCO) in the lawsuit. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Employment Rebounds with Strong September Report

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 7—The construction industry rebounded in a meaningful way in September by gaining 23,000 net new jobs on a monthly basis after losing 5,000 net jobs in August, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Despite the broader industry gains, the nonresidential sector added just 2,700 net new jobs for the month, while the residential sector added 15,700 new positions. The heavy and civil engineering subsector added 4,300 net new jobs after losing 23,200 positions over the previous five-month period. Read the rest of entry »