A survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America will show that the biggest challenge faced by contractors is their ability to attract new craft professionals. That news comes to us from AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson as he tours the nation speaking to construction executives about the state of the economy. I caught up with Simonson, who is also a Construction Citizen author, when he was talking to contractors in Austin on Tuesday.In the survey of about 1,300 contractors, 83 percent said it is difficult to find craft professionals while 61 percent said it is hard to fill management positions like project managers and estimators.
Donald Trump has been losing business left and right because of his harsh rhetoric on immigration. He’s also been gaining in the polls in his bid for the White House. More than 10 companies and organizations immediately cut business ties with the GOP presidential contender after his announcement for president in which the billionaire accused Mexico of sending murderers and rapists across the border into the United States.In statements following his original comments, Trump doubled down and then tripled down, saying: “What can be simpler or more accurately stated? The Mexican Government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States. They are, in many cases, criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc."
July 14, 2015
One of our missions at Construction Citizen is to help match future craft professionals with jobs that will benefit their families over the long haul while helping to create a sustainable workforce for the industry. The beauty of it is that those things go hand in hand, but we cannot do it alone.
July 09, 2015
Federal agencies with oversight over various industries are taking the problem of worker misclassification more seriously and are taking steps to rein in as many bad actors as possible, according to various reports.Worker misclassification, as you may know, happens when a company pays employees as independent subcontractors with the intent of skirting payroll taxes and denying benefits like health coverage. There are many legitimate uses of contract labor, of course, but the problem arises when companies use the classification to gain an unlawful competitive advantage and to deny basic protections for craft professionals and others. Companies that cheat on their payroll taxes can easily underbid law-abiding contractors by as much as 30 percent or more because of their illegitimate savings on labor costs.
June 30, 2015
Executives from S&B, Marek, and ISC discussed opportunities in the construction industry with students in the adult education classes at Community Family Centers in Houston.
June 10, 2015
A New York Times report this week digs into why construction deaths have been rising in New York. The numbers are unfortunate and they underscore the need for better-trained craft professionals on jobsites in NYC and all around the world. From the report:"Eight people have died in construction-related accidents this year, according to the city’s Buildings Department, as many as in all of 2014; the year before, three died. Not since 2008, during the height of the last building boom, has the number of construction accidents been so high, when a rash of episodes, including two falling cranes, claimed 19 lives.The number of accidents has also been on the rise, with 231 in 2014, up 24 percent from the year before. (Accident figures for 2015 were unavailable.)"
June 04, 2015
House and Senate negotiators in Austin are now trying to hammer out a final deal on the financing of $3 billion worth of construction projects at colleges and universities all over Texas.There is broad agreement that funding new classroom space is the right thing to do. On a vote of 26 to 5, the Texas Senate passed a bill authorizing the spending aimed at relieving overcrowded campuses. The Texas House also overwhelmingly passed the legislation. But, just as in past legislative sessions, the devil’s in the details when it comes to this issue.As of right now, about $73 million separates the two plans. That’s why a conference committee has been appointed to craft a deal that will then be presented to both the House and Senate before it can be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.
May 29, 2015
There’s a renewed push at the Texas Capitol to prevent people from skirting their responsibility to make child support payments through misclassification. Worker misclassification, also known as "payroll fraud," causes all kinds of problems throughout the construction industry and our society. Misclassification happens when employers pretend their workers are "subcontractors” even though, by law, they meet the definition of an employee.
May 19, 2015
The $10 million renovation of Francis Hall at Texas A&M University puts the school in a one-of-a-kind position among institutions of higher education in the state. It is the only building anywhere in Texas dedicated solely to the education of construction sciences, according to Joe Horlen, who heads up the Department of Construction Science in College Station.For the renovation, the university provided $4.5 million in state funds while the Department of Construction Science did the work of raising the remaining $5.5 million from the school’s partners in the construction industry and individual donors – many of whom are former students, Horlen said.In an interview on Construction Citizen’s weekly podcast, Horlen said it was particularly cool that companies which regularly compete against each other in the marketplace came together for the good of the entire industry to make this educational investment in its future leaders.
May 07, 2015
As Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, rolled out his top priorities for lawmakers in Austin earlier this year, one of the things he sought to highlight is the importance of a skilled workforce and the fact that a four-year degree is not a necessity for every single student. Abbott is a big believer in higher education, make no mistake. In fact, one of his emergency items includes recruitment of more Nobel Laureates and their equivalents to Texas.But his message on the issue is nuanced. Some students need a four-year degree or more and others can get exactly what they need in a two-year program equipping them with the skills employers demand.In his State of the State Address in February, Gov. Abbott said the path to success is not the same for all students.
May 04, 2015
