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 28—Associated Builders and Contractors today released its 2023 Safety Performance Report, an annual guide to safety best practices on construction jobsites and comprehensive study of the impact of the STEP Safety Management System.

WASHINGTON, May 4—Associated Builders and Contractors member contractors invested $1.6 billion to provide more than 1.3 million course attendees with craft, leadership and safety education in 2021, according to its 2022 Workforce Development Survey, up from $1.3 billion in 2020. The annual assessment quantifies the scope of ABC members’ workforce development initiatives to advance their employees’ careers in commercial and industrial construction to build the places where Americans live, work, learn, heal and play.  

WASHINGTON, March 30—Associated Builders and Contractors and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention today announced a collaborative partnership to address mental health and suicide prevention throughout the U.S. construction industry.

SAN ANTONIO, March 18—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the winners of its annual Construction Management Competition at ABC Convention 2022 in San Antonio, March 15-17. Fourteen teams of undergraduate students from colleges and universities nationwide competed this year, and Colorado State University was named the overall winner of the 2022 competition, with the highest cumulative points in the five competition categories.

SAN ANTONIO, March 18—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the winners of the 2022 National Craft Championships at its Careers in Construction Awards ceremony during ABC Convention 2022 in San Antonio. The 33rd annual competition showcases the skills and expertise of more than 200 of the nation’s top-performing craft professionals. 

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8—Apprenticeships are a key part of Associated Builders and Contractors’ commitment to an all-of-the-above approach for developing a safe, skilled and productive workforce that meets the current and future needs of the construction industry. During the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Week, Nov. 8-14, ABC celebrates the value of earn-while-you-learn opportunities for women, minorities, veterans, students, non-graduates and people laid off during the pandemic or seeking new careers, re-entry to the workforce or a second chance.

WASHINGTON, May 28—Associated Builders and Contractors recently launched the Safe and Healthy Construction Pledge, an industry-wide call to action to redouble construction jobsite safety commitments under new protocols due to the coronavirus outbreak. Open to all U.S. contractors and industry associations, the pledge calls for prevention, preparedness and response plans to prevent injuries and disease and safeguard total human health.

WASHINGTON, May 21—According to the results of Associated Builders and Contractors 2020 Workforce Development Survey, ABC contractor members invested $1.5 billion on workforce development initiatives in 2019, providing craft, leadership and safety education to 1.1 million course attendees to advance their careers in commercial and industrial construction. Safety education accounted for nearly half of the total workforce investment, averaging $1,147 per employee annually.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18—Associated Builders and Contractors announced today that Greg Sizemore, the association’s vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development, has been appointed vice chair of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention. In this role, Sizemore will help support the alliance’s mission to address suicide prevention as a construction health and safety priority and reach a zero-suicide industry.

WASHINGTON, July 31—Associated Builders and Contractors today praised Congress and the administration for passing a bipartisan reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, one of the key federal programs that supports vocational education programs that align with local workforce needs and lead to industry-recognized credentials.

WASHINGTON, July 19—Associated Builders and Contractors signed on to President Trump’s “Pledge to America’s Workers” today, committing to educating and developing at least 500,000 construction workers over the next five years.

WASHINGTON, May 11—According to the final report of the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion, apprenticeship programs offer workers a career path with paid, on-the-job training and provide employers with highly trained workers, but they are insufficient to address the growing skills gap in many industries. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) commended the secretaries of labor, education and commerce for leading the task force comprised of representatives from industry, education and government to generate new ideas to expand the role of apprenticeships and help more individuals achieve the American Dream. The report was presented to the president in a meeting at the White House on May 10.

WASHINGTON, March 20—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recently released its 2018 Safety Performance Report to further the construction industry’s understanding of how to make jobsites safer through its Safety Performance Evaluation Process (STEP). Packed with infographics and practical takeaways, the report documents the dramatic impact of using proactive safety practices to reduce recordable incidents by up to 85 percent, making the best-performing companies 670 percent safer than the industry average.

LONG BEACH, Calif., March 19—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on improving occupational safety and health at construction workplaces throughout the United States. The partnership is centered on developing effective prevention strategies and technologies as well as encouraging students and other professionals to choose occupational safety and health as a career and advance their competency in that field.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced three finalists for its annual Young Professional of the Year Award. This year’s list includes a technology-driven electrician, a business owner who builds dreams and saves lives and an attorney who fights for equality in construction.

The construction industry has a message for career-seekers this October: the demand for construction workers is high, and firms are looking to hire. Despite an investment of more than $1 billion a year by its members to train the next generation of construction workers, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) says the industry currently has 500,000 unfilled jobs, and that number could more than double if Congress and the White House agree on a promised $1 trillion infrastructure bill. ABC member firms are highlighting the worker shortfall and abundant opportunities for aspiring industry professionals during Careers in Construction Month.

WASHINGTON, July 17—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced that veteran construction safety expert Stephen M. Wiltshire has joined its 70-person staff as director of safety.

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 1— Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) celebrates Safety Week 2017 with a call for the construction industry to pledge support for substance abuse prevention and implement additional safety processes that lead to world-class safety performance. According to a recent ABC report, member construction firms with a substance abuse program in place reduce their incident rates by more than one-third compared to the industry average, and those that implement proactive best practices in 20 key safety components reduce recordable incidents by up to 87 percent.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 12 – Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Construction Labor Market Analyzer (CLMA) and NCCER today pushed back against media reports this week that have misrepresented the income of welders in commercial and industrial construction.

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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