Tag: construction industry: Page 12

Business

U.S. rental construction, lack of first-time home buyers a sign of “inferior housing recovery”?

Despite recent dips in construction spending and employment, the mood in the industry is, well, better. Better than it was last year anyway as 151,000 jobs have been added since then, the unemployment rate is down to 13.2 percent and spending is up 5 percent. As we’ve noted before, a lot of this has to […]

May 8, 2013

Safety

Construction is 4th most dangerous profession with 2nd most fatal injuries

There’s a reason we recognize attention to good safety practices with a separate award each year as part of our Contractor of the Year program. Look no further than the most recent numbers on industry death rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According the BLS chartbook, the private construction industry has the fourth-highest […]

April 25, 2013

Workforce

Washington Post: Housing hasn’t led to hiring boom because construction jobs already historically high

Though construction industry employment in the U.S. is steadily improving—adding 18,000 jobs in March amid a dreary overall jobs report—the numbers don’t match the boom the housing market is seeing. This has a lot of people searching for an answer. Recently, we shared with you one interesting theory from the Washington Post’s Neil Irwin. Irwin, […]

April 10, 2013

Business

Contractors, equipment dealers optimistic about construction activity, rental fleet growth

The latest round of the Wells Fargo Equipment Finance Construction Optimism Quotient registered at a 106, indicating that contractors and equipment distributors are optimistic that local non-residential construction activity will improve in 2013. The Optimism Quotient is a piece of the Wells Fargo 2013 Construction Industry forecast used to gauge contractors and equipment distributors’ feeling […]

March 11, 2013

Construction Equipment

Automakers prepare for truck war as housing and construction industries recover

As the housing and construction industry recoveries slowly build momentum, NPR reports automakers are preparing for an all-out truck war to reap the profits. The media outlet recently paid a visit to Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan plant where 7,500 of the company’s popular F-150 pickups roll off the assembly line each week. The F-150 has been […]

March 7, 2013

Roadbuilding

Fuel consumption in construction up 5.8 percent this year

WEX Inc. and IHS together on Feb. 26 released results of its WEX Construction Fuel Consumption Index (FCI), which indicated an increase of 5.8 percent in January compared to its level in January 2012. The WEX Construction FCI measures national fuel consumption statistics for the construction industry. WEX worked with IHS to capture and analyze […]

February 28, 2013

Business

Architecture Billings Index jumps to 54.2, bodes well for construction

Each month the American Institute of Architects releases its Architecture Billings Index and the latest round shows an increase to 54.2 in January. Any reading above a 50 on the index indicates a rise in demand for design services. The index indicates good things for construction because architectural billings tend to lead actual construction of projects […]

February 25, 2013

Business

Ritchie Bros. president sees turnaround for construction; unsure on value of Tier 4

The Ritchie Bros. equipment auction is in full swing here in Kissimmee, Florida, and given the robust nature of the sales company, President Rob Mackay sees things getting better for the future of the construction economy. The company saw its sales increase worldwide to $3.9 billion last year and Mackay says recent auctions in Houston, […]

February 21, 2013

Roadbuilding

Does a drop in foreclosures mean we’re on the rebound?

Foreclosure filings are down, but does it really mean we’re on the rebound? Dow Jones reports that the number of U.S. properties with foreclosure filings fell 28 percent in January from a year earlier, while foreclosure starts fell to a six-year low, according to market researcher RealtyTrac. According to the Dow Jones report , there […]

February 19, 2013

Business

POLL: Are you optimistic about the construction industry in 2013?

There are plenty of people who get paid to make forecasts regarding how successful or unsuccessful our industry will be. We report on some of those forecasts and predictions right here. However, we wanted to see what you, the reader think about the year ahead. Answer in our poll below and tell us why you […]

February 12, 2013

Business

Nonresidential construction index stagnates year-to-year, mixed outlook for 2013

The FMI Nonresidential Construction index rose to 58.1 in the first quarter of 2013, up 2.6 points from Q4 2012’s 55.6. The index sits at the same mark of 58.1 as one year ago, but up greatly from the 35.6 in Q1 2011. With the fiscal cliff and great political uncertainty of 2012 behind it, […]

February 12, 2013

Home

Opinion: Food trucks an American and construction industry institution

I couldn’t help but notice an ugly irony in the headlines last month. The American Interest’s Walter Russell Mead posted a short blog detailing how big cities around the country are waging war against independently owned and operated lunch wagons.  And the Associated Press ran a long story on how the recession, technology and the […]

February 12, 2013