Tag: Ken Simonson

Business

What will 2021 bring? Three Construction Economists Weigh In

From single-home residential construction to commercial construction to highway construction, find out what three economists are forecasting for 2021.

November 30, 2020

Workforce

Contractors expect growth in 2018 – along with worsening labor shortage

Anticipating that the economy will be better than last year for the industry, a majority of construction firms plan to expand their payrolls in 2018. But their optimism is tempered by concern over a growing shortage of skilled workers. That’s according to a survey released today by Associated General Contractors of America and Sage Construction and […]

January 3, 2018

Business

AGC economist forecasts strong construction growth thanks to ‘shale gale’, Panama Canal expansion

The morning after Republicans won back the U.S. Senate, Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, said that conservative majorities in both houses of Congress are unlikely to spend money to improve the the country’s infrastructure, but that private construction will be robust. The keynote speaker Wednesday at the 2014 Association […]

November 6, 2014

Roadbuilding

Majority of construction firms have a hard time finding skilled workers

The problem of not being able to find enough skilled craft workers is reaching nearly universal levels in the U.S. construction industry, according to a new survey. In response, the Associated General Contractors of America today released a workforce development plan aimed at repairing what it calls a “decimated” pipeline of qualified workers to the industry. Of […]

October 24, 2014

Business

Despite slow start to 2014 and concerns, top construction economists forecast growth in spending and jobs

The outlook from respected economists in the construction industry continues to be mixed as all the elements for growth are there but several factors could limit or hurt the industry’s ongoing recovery. Bernard Markstein, chief economist at Reed Construction Data, Kermit Baker, chief economist at the American Institute of Architects and Ken Simonson, chief economist […]

April 17, 2014

Business

Wisconsin contractors are having a hard time making quality hires as demand grows

Like their peers across the country, Wisconsin contractors are preparing for a sizable increase in work in 2014. According to Associated General Contractors of America chief economist Ken Simonson, construction spending in the U.S. is expected to rise 10 percent by the end of this year. And while more work is definitely good news, those […]

March 14, 2014

Business

FIU professor says Florida’s worker shortage is temporary due to likelihood of wage increases

Like their peers across the U.S., contractors in Florida are facing a shortage of skilled workers, as a report from Florida Watchdog details. In Florida, housing inventories are drying up which means that new ones will need to be built as demand rises. Problem is, as we’ve seen in many other places, many of the skilled veterans […]

February 25, 2014

Business

AGC’s Simonson: 2014 holds more projects and tame materials prices but also continued worry over the labor shortage

More projects to bid, “tame” materials prices and an increased concern over the availability of labor and skilled workers are what contractors can expect in 2014, according to a recent blog post by one of the construction industry’s leading economists. Associated General Contractors of America Chief Economist Ken Simonson writes that in 2014 contractors will […]

January 8, 2014

Business

Three construction economists forecast growth in construction spending through 2017, note causes for concern

Giving their opinions on how they see things shaking out in the remainder of 2013 and how things will shape up for 2014, three construction industry economists painted a fairly positive picture of growth with a tinge of uncertainty, according to a report from SmartBlogs. Kermit Baker, chief economist at the American Institute of Architects, […]

October 28, 2013

Business

Construction economists: spending on slow upward march, housing has long way to go

There are several pluses and minuses in today’s construction spending front, although the overall picture is trending upwards, agreed three construction economists participating in a Reed Construction Data forecast webinar today. “Construction is growing, but it is growing unevenly,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. Simonson sees growth in […]

May 10, 2013

Business

Construction spending up 7.1% annually as nine-month streak of increases is snapped

A nine-month string of increases in revised construction spending figures was snapped in January, falling 2.1 percent from December 2012 to a preliminary figure of $883.2 billion. Despite the dip, spending remains 7.1 percent higher than January 2012, according to seasonally-adjusted data released by the United States Census Bureau. Residential construction stalled from December to January, […]

March 1, 2013

Business

AGC forecast promises mixed outlook for 2013 U.S. construction

2013 should be a better year than 2012 for construction firms, but not necessarily a great one, said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, in a conference call detailing the results of the association’s forecast on construction hiring and business. There are bright spots in certain sectors, said CEO Stephen […]

January 14, 2013