Tag: workforce: Page 23

Business

Construction adds 48k jobs in January for highest gain in nearly 7 years, but unemployment rate jumps again

The U.S. construction industry added 48,000 jobs in January, posting its highest employment gain since before the start of the recession, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the last seven years, January’s gains only rank second to February 2007 when the industry added 80,000 jobs. That huge gain preceded a 29-month […]

February 7, 2014

Roadbuilding

ABC, NAM want OSHA to withdraw LOI allowing unions to represent nonunion employees

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) General Counsel Maurice Baskin on February 4 told the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections that a February 21, 2013 letter of interpretation (LOI) from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) should be withdrawn. Baskin made the statement at a subcommittee hearing titled “OSHA’s Regulatory Agenda: Changing Long-Standing Policies Outside the […]

February 4, 2014

Workforce

Construction worker the only profession to increase rate of home ownership following the recession

Despite likely being the hardest hit profession by the one-two punch of the bursting housing bubble and the ensuing recession, construction workers and home builders were the only group to increase their rate of home ownership in the last few years. According to a recent analysis of U.S. Census data by real-estate website Trulia, the […]

January 29, 2014

Business

3 things contractors can do to keep valuable workers on staff during the skilled worker shortage

The skilled worker shortage has been looming over the construction industry, and the Associated General Contractors’ 2014 outlook shows that contractors are already having a problem finding skilled professionals and craft workers. With that in mind, it’s more important than ever to hang on to the valuable workers you already have. Do you have a […]

January 29, 2014

Business

Construction skills boot camp in St. Louis to shut down due to lack of funding

After 14 years of equipping unemployed minorities with the skills necessary for a job in the construction industry, the Construction Prep Center in St. Louis, Missouri is shutting down. The boot camp cost students nothing but carried an annual budget that fluctuated between $180,000 and $480,000, according to a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. […]

January 27, 2014

Business

AGC 2014 construction forecast predicts improved hiring and pay with increased demand and equipment purchases

The Associated General Contractors of America released their 2014 construction industry forecast Tuesday, reporting the results of an in-depth survey that included 800 AGC members across the United States. The group’s analysis, Optimism Returns: The 2014 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook, found contractors are more optimistic about 2014 than they were about previous years. Noting […]

January 21, 2014

Workforce

San Antonio AGC president says he plans to “double down” on solving skilled worker shortage

During a banquet Tuesday, the newly-installed 2014 president of the Assocaited General Contractors of America’s San Antonio chapter said the main focus of his action plan will be workforce development. According to a report from San Antonio Business Journal, AGC San Antonio president Sam Nunnelly said programs like the Architectural Construction Engineering Mentor Program, the Construction […]

January 15, 2014

Business

Hire a Hero begins staffing effort to create path to construction, trade jobs for veterans

Hire a Hero, a program designed to transition former U.S. soldiers to the civilian workforce, has not been enough to get veterans into jobs such as those in construction, says the Armed Forces Support Foundation. which runs the program. “The current transition assistance from military to civilian life is inadequate and our veterans are not […]

January 13, 2014

Business

Construction industry loses 16k jobs in December, unemployment rate jumps

Diverging greatly from hopeful reports that came earlier in the week, the U.S. construction industry lost 16,000 jobs in December, snapping a streak of six consecutive months of job gains. A total of 5.833 million Americans are employed in the construction industry, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report revised […]

January 10, 2014

Business

Construction adds 17k jobs in November amid strong U.S. jobs report

The U.S. construction industry added 17,000 jobs in November, marking the sixth consecutive month of gains. A total of 5.851 million Americans are employed in the construction industry, the highest that mark has been since August 2009, when it was at the very same number, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. […]

December 6, 2013

Business

Survey says more than half of construction companies affected by skilled worker shortage, details how they’re coping

At this point, it would be quicker to list the number of cities that haven’t reported construction projects being impacted by the skilled worker shortage than the ones that have. In the past year alone we’ve reports from Houston, Minnesota, Louisiana, Phoenix, Wisconsin, Michigan and California, just to name, well, several. It’s everywhere. Back in […]

November 20, 2013

Business

With big jump in employment, Boston construction industry booming once more

After seeing Greater Boston construction jobs fall by 20 percent during the recession, things are finally looking up again for the city’s industry after a big jump in employment in the past year. The Boston metro area added 8,700 construction jobs between August 2012 and August 2013, according to a report from The Boston Globe. That’s […]

November 19, 2013