Construction careers have received their fair share of bad press over the years. As a result, it is not uncommon for today’s student to come away from the classroom or the counselor’s office thinking that the only way to earn a good living is by getting a bachelor’s degree. Parents want their children to have it better than they do, and conventional wisdom is that a college degree is the one and only path to a successful and financially stable career.However, even in today’s highly competitive job market, the reality may surprise you. The Harvard Graduate School of Education’s landmark report, Pathways to Prosperity, found that “27% of people with post-secondary licenses or certificates – credentials short of an associate’s degree – earn more than the average bachelor’s degree recipient.”
Reshaping the Construction Industry
Efforts to pass a worker misclassification bill are moving forward after what was called "the big stakeholders meeting" on Monday. Sen. John Carona, Chairman of the Senate...
March 06, 2013
On Wednesday, February 27, over 500 construction workers and their supporters marched to the Texas Capitol to rally for better working conditions in the industry. Holding banners with facts like “Texas is the Deadliest State to Work in Construction” and “More Workers Die in Texas Than Any Other State”, these activists called for an end to the dangerous conditions and frequent legal violations that characterize Texas’s construction industry. During the day, workers and their advocates visited with every senator and representative, as well as the Governor’s and Lt. Governor’s offices, to share their experiences with workplace injuries, wage theft, and payroll fraud.A recent study by the University of Texas found that one out of every five workers in Texas has been injured on the job and required medical attention. The study also found that construction workers in Texas die on the job at a higher rate than in any other state
March 05, 2013
Morgan Brennan of the Forbes staff penned a great piece recently that “states the obvious” to folks in the construction industry - There will be Labor shortages! She quotes some very credible sources to indicate the current state of the industry and the rising need for skilled labor in both the residential and non-residential sectors as the economy begins to recover.Here in Houston for example, the economy is recovering at a rapid pace. Within a mile of my office, there are currently over 1,000 multifamily units under construction. Last weekend, I toured a single family home that had been listed only 3 days earlier. I was told by the listing agent that they had had 105 visits and 4 contracts already
March 05, 2013
A lawmaker from Dallas wants cities to be barred from requiring contractors to pay a "living wage" when awarding incentive packages. The Austin American Statesman reports:State...
March 04, 2013
A Houston TV station investigates contractors who claim to be licensed but really aren't.The full story can be found here and at Click2Houston.com.Your thoughts are welcome in the...
March 04, 2013
Construction spending fell in January, Census says, but Reed reports jump in startsEditor’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. Construction spending in January totaled $883 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, down 2.1% from December but up 7.1% from January 2012, the Census Bureau reported last week. The November and December totals were each revised up by over $15 billion, reflecting a surge in power construction as contractors rushed to finish wind energy projects to qualify for tax credits by yearend. Private residential construction spending was flat for the month and up 22% from January 2012. Private nonresidential spending slumped 5.1% from December but rose 4.0% year-over-year. Public construction spending fell 1.0% for the month and 3.0% year-over-year. New single-family construction rose 3.6% and 30%, respectively. New multifamily spending rose 1.7% and 55%. Of the top three private nonresidential categories, spending on power construction (including oil and gas fields and pipelines) fell 14% and 2.7%; manufacturing construction fell 2.9% for the month but rose 13% year-over-year; and commercial construction (retail, warehouse and farm) edged up 0.6% and 3.0%.
March 04, 2013
One of New York City’s major museums, the Whitney Museum of American Art, will move to a new location in early 2015. The new, 200,000 square foot building was designed by renowned...
February 28, 2013
Following last week's filing of a worker misclassfication bill in the Senate, Representative John Davis, R-Houston today filed his own version in the House. The Texas Construction...
February 27, 2013
The Houston Chapter of the American Subcontractor Association (ASA) recently hosted a luncheon panel that focused on the progress of the Construction Career Collaborative (C3), a local organization created to ensure a sustainable workforce for the construction industry. C3 is in its infancy, but has already made an impact on projects in the Houston region. This panel discussion gave an overview of the issues, the progress being made today and the plans for the future.The panel consisted of Jim Stevenson, the President of McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. in Houston and the current chairman of the C3 Executive Committee; Peter Dawson, the Senior Vice President of Facilities Services at Texas Children’s Hospital and the owner’s representative for one of the C3 pilot projects under construction today; John Roberts, the Executive Vice President of Project and Development Services for Jones Lang LaSalle and member of the C3 Executive Committee; and Danny Thompson, Construction Director of Vaughn Construction and contractor on one of the five C3 pilot projects.
February 26, 2013