As recovery continues, the US economy remains about 8% below where it was in February 2020, said Richard Branch, chief economist at Dodge Data & Analytics, citing impacts from rising COVID-19 cases, but total construction starts are expected to increase 7% in 2021.
“We’ve certainly made progress here,” said Branch, during the Dodge Construction Outlook- 3rd Quarter Update webinar Aug. 24. He points to stimulus packages and businesses reopening over the past several months, but “over the last several weeks, we’ve not made much progress as COVID cases rise again from the Delta variant.”