Related Links: Amid PPP Slowdown, India Turns to Cash Contracts Growth in India's Infrastructure Markets Projected Chinese Firms Face Political Obstacles of Working in India The phrase “human-resource deficit” is seldom associated with India, a nation of more than 1.2 billion people. But this deficit is exactly what’s happening there in the construction industry today, when the growth of the service sector and the movement away from jobs in the industry has led to a deficiency of talented and reliable people.According to a 2011 report by Ernst & Young and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the
Image Courtesy Trilogy Publications Building team career options are showcased in new book aimed at middle and high school students. Related Links: Introducing Those Amazing Builders Outreach Initiative ENR Book Review-Those Amazing Engineers This story was updated on Nov. 19 to include new details on distribution of Those Amazing Builders and involvement of AEC firms in sponsoring book orders for schools. Pushing to fill gaps in the construction workforce, particularly in the building trades, practitioners have teamed with a specialty publisher to showcase to middle- and high-school students what's "amazing" about industry building careers.Promoters hope to distribute up to 100,000 copies
Photo by AP Wideworld The popularity of narcotic painkillers has a downside and cost that some states may not fully recognize. Related Links: Tightening Up the Rules for Hydrocodone, the Favorite PainKiller The Myth of Workers' Compensation Fraud Someone forgot to send Missouri the memo about the latest research on rising costs in workers' compensation.Concerned about fraudulent claims by workers, state Senator Mike Cunningham (R) late last year sponsored a bill that would have given employers access to a free online database of compensation claims. Employers would be able to screen workers for a history of fraud, without first securing
Related Links: 'Process' Rules for University of Houston CM Students Map: Progress of Announced Gulf Coast Megaprojects Could Depend on Staffing Panelists at First ENR Energy Conference on Nov. 15 Note Market's Promise and Challenges If they plan to build it, will the workforce come?That is the question for many as the construction industry—along with owners, educators and economic boosters—scramble to meet current and projected staffing needs for skilled craft, technical, engineering and project-management employees in the wake of what could be an unprecedented petrochemical and energy project boom in North America, particularly along the U.S. Gulf Coast.The surge, driven
Related Links: Big Push To Staff Shale-Gas Projects Contractors and owners in the petrochemical and industrial marketplace in Texas and elsewhere may get an early Christmas present this December, when the University of Houston's construction-management department graduates the first students from its new process and industrial (P&I) track.The focused curriculum, which began in 2010 at the urging of energy-sector firms, is unique among U.S. engineering and construction schools, says department Chairman Neil Eldin.The P&I track includes engineering, construction and business courses similar to the school's commercial-focused CM track. But the 11-course program, primarily taught by industry experts, focuses on process-oriented
Related Links: BLS employment report for October 2013 (includes data tables) AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's comments, analysis The construction industry’s unemployment rate climbed in October, to 9% from September’s 8.5%, the Labor Dept.'s Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. But last month's mark was an improvement over the 11.4% recorded for October 2012.The BLS report, released on Nov. 8, also shows that construction gained 11,000 jobs in October and that all sectors of the industry added to their workforces.Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors of America chief economist, noted that October marked the fifth-straight month of construction job increases, pushing
Legal proceedings are underway in a 2011 age discrimination lawsuit against International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 117’s apprenticeship program,. The lawsuit has the potential to determine whether apprentices are considered employees and whether apprenticeship funds can be sued under the definitions of the Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967.According to the complaint filed in the Northern District Court of Illinois’ Eastern Division, John Snowwhite, 44, alleges that he was given artificially low aptitude test scores during the selection process for apprenticeship with the IBEW Local 117 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund in order to conceal his alleged
Related Links: Text (portions redacted) of M.C. Dean agreement with DOL M.C. Dean statement Dept. of Labor press release M.C. Dean Inc., a major electrical contractor, has agreed to pay 381 job applicants $875,000 in back wages and interest to settle Dept. of Labor allegations that the company's hiring processes did not provide them with "equal employment opportunity" for apprenticeship and electrician positions, DOL said.In announcing the agreement on Oct. 30, DOL's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) said the payments will go to 272 African Americans, 98 Hispanics and 11 Asian Americans who had unsuccessfuly sought electrician and
Construction was among the industries that reported increased employment levels in September, according to the latest employment statistics from the Dept. of Labor.The Labor Dept.’s monthly employment report for September, released Oct. 22, found that overall, total non-farm payroll employment rose by 148,000 in September, and the unemployment rate was virtually unchanged at 7.2 %.Construction, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing all saw employment increases.The construction sector added 20,000 new jobs in September, after showing little change in the prior six months. Moreover, the unemployment rate in the construction industry fell to a six-year low of 8.5%.Construction employment totaled 5,826,000
Courtesy of Unite the Union Frank Morris, an electrician and shop steward, returned to work at the CrossRail project after a year in which he and Unite the Union sought his reinstatement. At first the story that broke in 2009 seemed implausible: Dozens of U.K. contractors supported a craftworker blacklist since the late 1990s and used it to idle those deemed troublesome.Then on Oct. 10, eight of the U.K.’s largest construction companies announced a settlement that could be valued in many millions of dollars. Under the settlement, the contractors will compensate as many as 3,200 workers who said they were