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Construction job growth, unemployment improve; several indicators augur more gainsEditor’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 195,000, seasonally adjusted, in June and 2,293,000 (1.7%) over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Friday. Construction employment rose by 13,000 for the month and totaled 5,812,000, seasonally adjusted, the highest level since August 2009 and a gain of 190,000 (3.4%) over the past year. Total hours worked in construction (aggregate weekly hours) increased by 4.7% since June 2012, implying that contractors are lengthening working hours slightly, in addition to hiring new workers. Residential construction employment (residential building and specialty trade contractors) climbed by
Reshaping the Construction Industry
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The Construction industry, like much of the rest of the country, now turns its attention to the House of Representatives as sweeping immigration reform moves to the lower chamber where Republicans control the agenda. As we've reported, the industry was working hard to persuade senators to lift the arbitrarily low cap on construction workers. The Washington Post now reports that they've lost the battle:"While industry advocates say the companies will need to hire more than 200,000 new workers per year, under the Senate bill the number of foreign-worker construction visas can never exceed 15,000 per year.The setback, unusual for an otherwise powerful special-interest lobby, reflects the political tightrope being walked by each party as leaders try to pass an immigration overhaul while balancing concerns from influential skeptics.
July 10, 2013
The next six months are going to be very busy for the Construction Career Collaborative as we bring another project on board, ramp up our ability to track how projects are going and roll out our safety training locations.In the coming weeks, we’ll be ready to unveil the latest project that’s signed on to carry the banner of our C3 principles: Hourly and overtime payment standards, safety training and craft training. Perhaps the most significant thing about the newest project is that for the first time we’ll be expanding beyond the medical community. Texas Children’s Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center continue to be wonderful partners on the five beta projects already underway. The leaders of those hospitals are as excited as we are to the addition of more partners in our mission.
July 08, 2013
A special exhibition of work by artist James Turrell is currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The exhibit is titled The Light Inside and displays amazing spaces created using light as the primary component of each work. The physical rooms which contain each piece called for precise and detailed construction because they are indeed part of the art itself. Before visiting the exhibition, I talked with some of the men from Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. who worked with Linbeck, the general contractor, on the construction of these “rooms.”Turrell is known for creating spaces which he calls “Ganzfelds.” The word means “complete field” in German, and in these spaces, Turrell attempts to blur the viewer’s perception of horizon and dimension. He wants the viewer to experience these spaces with “no up, no down, no left, and no right”. In a special edition of Arts InSight which aired on Houston’s PBS television station on June 27, Turrell explained:
July 03, 2013
Residential, public construction expand in May but nonres stalls; more metros add jobsEditor’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 May totaled $875 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, up 0.5% from April and 5.4% from May 2012, the Census Bureau reported on Monday. Private residential spending jumped 1.2% for the month and 23% year-over-year. Private nonresidential spending slumped 1.4% and 0.9%, respectively. Public construction spending climbed 1.8% in May but fell 4.7% over 12 months. Of the three residential components, new single-family construction rose 0.4% and 33%, respectively; new multifamily spending, 2.5% and 52%
July 02, 2013
Now that the dust has settled from the regular session of the Texas legislature, there is some good news to report on the issue of worker misclassification. The broad crackdown on the practice that's been called "a cancer" didn't materialize, but an important first step was taken. As Construction Citizen has reported, and garnered national attention for, the largest home builders fought tooth and nail to keep a comprehensive worker misclassification crackdown from happening. That bill pushed by Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, would have aggressively gone after companies that misclassify their workers with a special focus on construction. But
July 01, 2013
Hi there. The Chamberlin Man here. From time to time I like to share my knowledge with others as a sort of “community service”. You can't learn everything there is to know in a college course. So, here is a free nugget of know-how just for you.Did you know that your facade access systems (used to access the exterior of tall buildings for maintenance, cleaning, or construction) have to be tested and maintained – especially when you are getting ready to perform exterior building maintenance?Here is an article from some smart cats about that very thing. Take a gander at it and let me know what you think.
June 28, 2013
Google's self-driving carWe interrupt this construction blog to bring you some news about disruptive technologies that will impact your business and lives sooner rather than later...
June 27, 2013
Last week celebrity Mike Rowe appeared on the television newsmagazine Inside Edition to promote his newest initiative: Profoundly Disconnected. Mike Rowe is known as the host of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, and also for his efforts to promote careers in the skilled trades through his non-profit organization mikeroweWORKS. The mikeroweWORKS Foundation supports careers in skilled trades through scholarships, community colleges and trade schools, and initiatives which recruit and support the industry. Profoundly Disconnected is part of that effort to raise awareness as well as scholarship funding to advance young people in skilled trades.This latest effort began when Rowe recalled seeing a poster when he was in high school which depicted a confident and happy young man wearing a graduation cap and gown while holding a diploma contrasted with a very dirty and dejected man wearing work coveralls while holding a wrench. The caption on the poster read “Work Smart NOT Hard”. The poster was obviously created as part of a college recruitment campaign; however, that kind of advice has led to the workforce crisis the United States is now facing. Construction companies cannot find enough skilled craftsmen to complete the jobs they build, and thousands of college graduates face unemployment or underemployment just as their student loans are coming due.
June 26, 2013
AGC 2013 is celebrating 90 years in Houston. With that in mind, I sat down with AGC Houston President Jerry Nevlud recently at his office to talk about the road ahead for the construction industry in Southeast Texas. Nevlud, who's also a Construction Citizen blogger, told me things look good but the "elephant in the room" is the workforce and whether the industry will embrace private sector solutions for addressing it or wait for the government to take the lead.BRADDOCK: Jerry, given the economic conditions and everything else happening in this market, what's the outlook for the year ahead?NEVLUD: The outlook is great. I think that we're all very bullish on the Houston market for the next several years. I guess the, obviously with where the Eagle Ford Shale and what's going on and what the oil and gas companies are doing and so that creates a great base for construction and we've had several big bonds pass, so from that standpoint we're very bullish on the opportunities for our members. Obviously, the 800-pound elephant in the room is the
June 25, 2013
