News - ABC New Jersey

ABC: Over Half of March State Construction Unemployment Rates Down From a Year Ago

The March 2024 not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate was 5.4%, down 0.2% from the previous year, according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors. The analysis also found that 29 states had lower unemployment rates over the same period,…

Andrew DeVito In National, News

ABC: Nonresidential Construction Spending Rebounds in March

National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.2% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.19 trillion. Spending was up on a monthly basis in 10 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories.…

Andrew DeVito In National, News

ABC: NEPA Revisions Will Delay Critical Infrastructure, Increase Construction Costs

Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck today issued the following statement on the National Environmental Policy Act final rule: “These unnecessarily onerous new NEPA regulations will make it more difficult to build important projects and are a major step backward for critical infrastructure, the…

Andrew DeVito In National, News

ABC Safety Report: Construction Companies Can Be Nearly 6 Times Safer Than the Industry Average Through Best Practices

Associated Builders and Contractors today announced the findings from its 2024 Safety Performance Report, an annual guide to construction jobsite health and safety best practices. The report is unveiled to coincide with Construction Safety Week, May 6-10. The annual safety report also provides a comprehensive understanding of the impact of deploying ABC’s STEP Safety Management…

Andrew DeVito In National, News

ABC Denounces FTC’s Blanket Ban on Noncompete Clauses

Associated Builders and Contractors today issued the following statement opposing the Federal Trade Commission’s final rule to ban noncompete clauses. The FTC voted 3-2 to issue the final rule today. “The final rule to ban all noncompete agreements nationwide—except existing noncompetes for senior executives—is a radical departure from hundreds of years of legal precedent,” said…

Andrew DeVito In Government Affairs, National, News

DOL’s Overtime Salary Level Threshold Increase Will Harm Small Businesses, Says ABC

Associated Builders and Contractors today issued the following statement opposing the U.S. Department of Labor’s final rule that will change overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The final rule increases the minimum annual salary level threshold for exemption in two phases: from the current level of $35,568 to…

Andrew DeVito In National, News

ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Rebounds in March, Contractor Confidence Improves

Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 8.2 months in March from 8.1 months in February, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 3. The reading is down 0.5 months from March 2023. View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and…

Andrew DeVito In National, News

ABC: Construction Materials Prices Increase 0.4% in March

Construction input prices increased 0.4% in March compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.4% for the month. Both overall and nonresidential construction input prices…

Andrew DeVito In National, News

ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds Whopping 24,600 Jobs in March

The construction industry added 39,000 jobs on net in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 270,000 jobs, an increase of 3.4%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 24,600…

Andrew DeVito In National, News

Construction Job Openings Increased by 16,000 in February, Says ABC

The construction industry had 441,000 job openings on the last day of February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is…