Construction’s jobless rate climbed to its highest level in at least a decade, reaching 22.7% in December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. Economists say the slump in nonresidential building markets has overshadowed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s boost to the public-works sector. The latest BLS monthly figures, released on Jan. 8, show construction’s December unemployment rose from November’s 19.4% and also stood well above the December 2008 level of 15.3%. + Image Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Note: Rates are not seasonally adjusted. The 22.7% rate is the industry’s highest since 2000, when
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has produced or saved an estimated 262,000 construction-sector jobs through the end of 2009, the White House Council of Economic Advisers says in its latest update on the impact of the stimulus legislation. That total represents a near doubling from the 133,000 construction jobs CEA estimated in its previous ARRA study, issued Sept. 10. In its new report, released Jan. 13, CEA says that over all, ARRA hasincreased employment by 1.5 million to 2 million as of the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with what the jobs level would have been if the legislation
In a clear sign of construction's persistently severe problems, the industry's jobless rate hit its highest level in at least a decade, climbing to 22.7% in December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. The latest BLS monthly employment figures, released Jan. 8, show that construction's December jobless rate rose from November's 19.4%, and also was well above the December 2008 mark of 15.3%. Moreover, construction's 22.7% rate is the industry's highest since 2000, when BLS changed its system for classifying and defining industries, a bureau spokesperson says. Construction's previous post-2000 high came in February 2009, when the industry's jobless
Construction's unemployment rate continued to to rise in November, climbing to 19.4% from October's 18.7%, while the nation's overall jobless rate declined slightly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. Job creation has become a prime topic in Washington, as congressional Democrats work on new measures aimed at bringing more people back to work. Infrastructure spending is emerging as one component of those possible measures. The November data, released Dec. 4, showed that construction continued to lose jobs for the month, but in a modestly encouraging sign, the industry's 27,000 jobs shed was less than 117,000 monthly average for the
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) says the state’s Nov. 20 agreement with an investor-owned private company to take over port operations in Baltimore for 50 years could generate $1.3 billion in berth expansion, port deepening and related infrastructure improvement. O’Malley says the deal would create about 3,000 construction jobs and 2,700 other positions. Ports America Chesapeake, which has operated two terminals at the port since the 1990s, will pay the state $100 million immediately for the long-term lease, which will give it control over facility net revenue, operations and technology investment. The pact must be approved by the state Board
The city of Honolulu on Nov. 17 signed a project labor agreement with 12 building trade unions that will pay workers prevailing wages and protect the city against strikes or lockouts during construction of the $5.5-billion Honolulu Rail Transit Project. “When you have a project of this magnitude, you want to make sure there is no work stoppage,” says a project spokesman. Construction of the 20-mile elevated rail project is to begin in late January, with Vancouver, Wash.-based Kiewit Pacific Co. building the 6.5-mile design-build first phase from Kapolei to Pearl Highlands. The entire project, from Kapolei to Ala Moana,
More building owners are asking for geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) and other efficient heating-and-cooling alternatives, boosting demand for skilled workers who know how to assemble all the hydronic components. A union in Chicago has just begun to teach its workers formally on the ups and downs of GHPs. Instructors Paul Chapello (left) and William Wren use 4,000-gallon fish tank to keep geothermal installers in the loop. A nearby ground loop, partially exposed, also is tied into the system. Related Links: As More Buildings Go Geothermal, Project Teams Are Thinking Outside the Borehole Along Came a Spider� Editorial: More Straight Talk
Owner outsourcing of management and operations work has increased dramatically since 2006, according to a new survey of owners. The survey of 191 owners was released on Nov. 3 and conducted by Raleigh, N.C.-based management consultant FMI Corp. and McLean, Va.-based Construction Management Association of America. It found that outsourcing at the program-activation phase increased by 60% between 2006 and 2009 and by 30% in the operations and maintenance phase. It also found that over the next five years outsourcing will continue to increase in nearly all phases of the construction process.
Worried about an unemployment rate that now tops 10%—and is much higher for the construction sector—Congress has reacted with a package of extended and broadened tax breaks aimed at spurring housing and giving a boost to businesses in general. President Obama signed that bill on Nov. 6, but he and key congressional Democrats and industry officials agree more action is needed to turn around the grim jobless figures. In a move that could provide targeted help for construction, the White House is considering increased public-works funds as part of a recovery plan. + Image Note: Rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Orlando, Fla.-based employees of transportation engineer Reynolds, Smith & Hills Inc. (RS&H) have met with grief counselors following a Nov. 6 random shooting by a troubled ex-engineer employee that killed one current staffer and injured five others, including a state agency client official. The injured are all recovering. Photo: AP Jason Rodriguez, an engineer, was arrested in shooting rampage at office of his former design firm employer About 30 people were working in the Orlando office of Jacksonville-based RS&H when, according to police reports, Jason S. Rodriguez, 40, allegedly walked in, drew a handgun from a holster beneath his shirt
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