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 29—The U.S. economy expanded at a 6.4% annualized rate during the first quarter of 2021; however, investment in nonresidential structures declined at a 4.8% rate for the quarter, according to analysis conducted by Associated Builders and Contractors of data released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

WASHINGTON, April 28—In response to reports that President Biden will tonight announce tax increases as he details his American Families Plan, Associated Builders and Contractors released the following statement.

WASHINGTON, April 28—Ahead of President Joe Biden’s first congressional address, Associated Builders and Contractors issued the following statement from Michael Bellaman, its president and CEO, on key merit shop construction industry priorities that should be considered by the administration.

WASHINGTON, April 28—Construction employment is holding its own, although it is not back to pre-pandemic levels, according to state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors for March 2021. These data show that on a year-over-year basis, the not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rates rose nationally and in 33 states, fell in 15 states and were unchanged in two states, Oklahoma and Washington.

WASHINGTON, April 30—Today, Associated Builders and Contractors announced the findings in its 2021 Safety Performance Report, an annual assessment that furthers the construction industry’s understanding of how to achieve world-class safety by deploying its STEP Safety Management System. Published to coincide with Construction Safety Week, May 3-7, the annual report details the drastic impact of using proactive safety practices to reduce recordable incidents by up to 85%, making the best-performing companies more than six times safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average.

WASHINGTON, April 22—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement in reaction to the Republican lawmakers’ infrastructure framework.

WASHINGTON, April 14—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the winners of its annual Construction Management Competition, held virtually for 12 teams of undergraduate students from colleges and universities nationwide. Clemson University was named the overall winner of the 2021 competition, with the highest cumulative points in the five competition categories.

WASHINGTON, April 12—Associated Builders and Contractors is committed to shaping an industry that welcomes all people. As part of Second Chance Month, ABC has highlighted the programs, partnerships and involvement of its chapters and members across the country in educating, upskilling and hiring reentering citizens.

WASHINGTON, April 9—Construction input prices rose 3.5% in March 2021, 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 increased 3.5% for the month.

WASHINGTON, April 8—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced that DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand and U.S. manufacturer of professional products, will power the National Student Chapter Network as the program sponsor for the next three years.

WASHINGTON, April 13—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 7.8 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted from March 22 to April 5, a decrease of 0.4 months from both the February 2021 and March 2020 readings.

WASHINGTON, April 2—The construction industry added 110,000 jobs in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry has added 931,000 jobs since April 2020, recovering 83.6% of the jobs lost during earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WASHINGTON, April 1—National nonresidential construction spending declined 1.3% 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 $789.5 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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