Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics February employment report with data tables AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's comments and analysis ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu's comments and analysis Construction’s February unemployment rate continued to run well below year-earlier levels, dipping to 10.6% from February 2014’s 12.8%, as the industry gained 29,000 jobs during the month.The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ look at last month’s employment picture, released on March 6, also showed that construction’s jobless rate increased from January’s 9.8%.The BLS rates aren’t adjusted for seasonal variations. Winter storms may have been a factor in February’s month-to-month rise.The jobs results were
Courtesy of Industrial Training International Online rigging engineering course allows students to go at their own pace. Related Links: Global Safety Audit Finds Spotty Rigging Practices Synthetic Hoist Rope Is 80% Lighter Than Steel When John Glinski heard about a new online course for rigging engineering, he knew he had to sign up."I wanted to increase my knowledge," says the 56-year-old Fluor Corp. employee and safety manager of cranes and rigging for Tappan Zee Constructors. "I wanted to know the engineering behind everything because it makes you a better rigger."Rigging engineering is not yet a recognized profession, but Glinski and
Related Links: Via Executive Order, Obama Pushes for Ethical Contracting Legal Experts Update New Federal Worker Rules at ENR Webinar. Link to Discussion and Detailed Slides The latest Obama Administration move to raise workforce standards and protections for federal contractor employees will tighten restrictions on reliance on human trafficking and forced labor. Contractors will be required to enforce compliance among subcontractors—a tough challenge in a global supply chain, attorneys say. The rules stem from 2012 and 2013 “zero tolerance” provisions, but final regs, published in late January, are set to take effect on March 2.The rules, which apply to new
Related Links: Big Pipe Plans-Developers Push Billions in Pipeline Work Despite Oil Price Slide, Keystone Veto CURT Construction Labor Market Analyzer website Vogtle Nuke Plant Builders Face Rising Cost Pressures NCCER-Welding Website CareersWelding and Burning Ironworkers Website United Association-Union of Plumbers, Pipefitters, Welders and Service TechsWelding Certifications Things are heating up at the plumbers and pipefitters' union local in Augusta, Ga., and it isn't just the members' welding tools. The union is running full tilt to train welders now in short supply to fuel the region's industrial and energy-sector construction boom.Apprenticeship training at Local 150—a key labor supplier to the
Related Links: BLS employment report for January 2015 with data tables AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's analysis ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu's analysis Construction began 2015 with upbeat employment figures, adding 39,000 jobs in January, pushing the industry’s unemployment rate down to 9.8%, well below the year-earlier level.The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest monthly employment report, released on Feb. 6, showed that construction’s jobless rate last month fell from January 2014’s 12.3% but was up from December’s 8.3%.The month-to-month change probably reflected the industry’s usual winter work slowdown; the BLS rates are not adjusted for seasonal variations. All construction sectors
Scores of construction workers and subcontractors in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, could face lean times in the coming months after a state-owned agency suspended building construction begun between last June and this January. The National Construction Authority said it declared the moratorium on new residential and commercial buildings to do structural safety audits after two buildings collapsed in early January, killing at least eight people.The agency, which regulates construction in the East Africa nation, said that, despite the job losses at building sites, the moritorium will allow developers to comply with regulations to ensure “stable structures for the safety of both
Related Links: AGC Survey BLS Union Membership Data Breakdown by Industry Eighty percent of the nearly 1,000 construction firms that responded to an Associated General Contractors of America survey said they plan to expand their payrolls in 2015. But shortages of skilled employees at the craft and professional levels continue to be a problem for many firms, according to the survey.To attract more workers, firms are providing better benefit packages, but the problem persists, AGC economist Ken Simonson told reporters on Jan. 21.Among respondents trying to hire workers, 87% report difficulties in filling positions. Walt Fegley, president and COO of
Related Links: Beavers Names 2015 Award Winners Viewpoint: The Coming Revolution in Engineering Education The Beavers, a Los Altos, Calif., heavy-construction group, has received its first funding installment from Caterpillar Inc. as part of a four-year challenge to raise money for engineering education. Since kicking off last year, the campaign has generated more than $750,000.For every $2 the Beavers raise through 2017, the equipment firm will match $1—up to a total of $1 million—according to Lynn Barr, chairman of Beavers Charitable Trust and managing member of the Pendleton Group, Santa Rosa, Calif. This will fund scholarships for students and teaching
Related Links: Homepage of Wasco Masonry Bricklayers union discussion of need for bigger regional local A Tennessee masonry contractor has filed for bankruptcy protection, but the bricklayers' union says the contractor owes more than $6 million to a union pension fund. While the contractor says the amount is the result of a mistake, the union says the contractor is obligated to pay.The management of Nashville-based Wasco Inc. and its Columbia, Tenn., subsidiary, Lovell's Masonry Inc., insists its ongoing business is solid. In a January 8 press release, Wasco chief Executive Officer William A. Sneed Jr. says, "We are sound and
Related Links: FMI While post-recession paychecks for engineering and construction professionals rose about 10% since 2008 in a survey by management consultant FMI released earlier this year, its new report shows that top executives saw their total compensation drop 8% in the same period, mostly fueled by profit impacts and related falloffs in bonuses and stock values that hurt long-term pay."The sharp reduction in CEO, COO and CFO bonuses in 2013 cannot be overlooked," says survey author Mike Rose, although he says executives with cost-control responsibility appeared to fare better.The survey, based on about 75,000 position incumbents, says that since
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