Contractors report major difficulty filling craft positions as hiring plans strengthenEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Nearly four out of five contractors (79%) are having trouble filling hourly craft professional positions, while 52% report difficulty filling salaried positions, based on 1358 responses to a survey and analysis AGC released on Thursday. Of 21 crafts, respondents reported the most difficulty finding carpenters (reported by 73% of the firms that employ them now), sheet metal installers (65%), concrete workers (63%) and electricians (60%). But even the most available category of hourly workers, traffic control personnel, was reported hard to find by more than one-quarter (26%) of respondents. Among 10 types of salaried professions, the scarcest were project managers and supervisors (55% reported difficulty), followed by estimating professionals (43%) and engineers (34%). To attract and maintain workers, firms say they are increasing base pay rates (56% of firms for hourly workers, 48% for salaried workers), providing incentives or bonuses (23% and 29%, respectively), increasing contributions to benefit plans or improving employee benefits (23% and 23%), and paying more overtime (165 and 4%).   

Strong construction spending pushes up GDP; multifamily builders remain optimisticEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Gross domestic product, net of inflation (real GDP), grew 3.7% in the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15) at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, rather than the initially estimated 2.3%, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Thursday. Reuters reported, "Investment in nonresidential structures was revised to show it rising at a 3.1% rate, reflecting stronger spending on commercial and healthcare construction. It was previously reported to have contracted at a 1.6% pace. Spending on residential construction was raised to a 7.8% pace from a 6.6% rate."   

Employment edges up, unemployment shrinks in July; spending accelerates in JuneEditor’s note:  Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 215,000 in July, seasonally adjusted, and by 2,915,000 (2.1%) over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday. Construction employment rose by 6,000 for the month (to 6,383,000) and by 36,000 (7,200 per month) over the past five months, far below the monthly average gain of 19,250 from July 2014 to July 2015. The number of unemployed jobseekers who last worked in construction fell from 666,000 in July 2014 to 474,000 in July 2015, the lowest July total since 2001.   

Most states add jobs for year but only half do in June; Dodge, AIA, RLB data look rosyEditor’s note:  Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Seasonally adjusted construction employment rose in 39 states and the District of Columbia from June 2014 to June 2015 and declined in 11 states, an AGC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released on Tuesday showed. California again added the most construction jobs (47,000 jobs, 7.0%), followed by Florida (25,200, 6.2%), Texas (18,900, 2.9%), Washington (15,300, 9.7%) and Michigan (14,000, 9.8%). Idaho again added the highest percentage of new construction jobs (13%, 4,600), followed by Nevada (11%, 7,000), Michigan, Arkansas (9.7%, 4,400) and Washington.)