News - Associated Builders and Contractors New Jersey Chapter

ABC Applauds GSA Decision To End Union-Only Contracting Schemes on Land Port of Entry Construction

Associated Builders and Contractors celebrated a Feb. 12 policy shift by the U.S. General Services Administration that will restore merit-based competition for infrastructure contracts to build land port of entry projects procured by the GSA. “The GSA’s new policy eliminates former President Joe Biden’s controversial rule requiring anti-competitive, inflationary, union-favoring project labor agreements on federal construction…

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ABC: Construction Materials Prices Increase 1.4% in January, Up 40.5% Since February 2020

Construction input prices increased 1.4% in January compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.9% for the month. Overall construction input prices are 1.3% higher than a…

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ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Increases, Contractors Remain Confident

Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 8.4 months in January, according to an ABC member survey conducted Jan. 21 to Feb. 3. The reading is unchanged from January 2024. View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data series. The monthly increase…

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ABC: All But 3 States Had Construction Unemployment Rates Below 10% in December 2024

The national December 2024 not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate was 5.2%, up 0.8% from December 2023, according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors. The analysis found that only six states had lower estimated construction unemployment rates over the same…

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ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds Modest 4,400 Jobs in January

The construction industry added 4,000 jobs on net in January, 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 increased by 178,000 jobs, an increase of 2.2%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 4,400…

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ABC: Construction Hiring Historically Slow in December, Lowest Since April 2020

The construction industry had 217,000 job openings on the last day of December 2024, 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…

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ABC: Nonresidential Construction Spending Down 0.2% in December; Data Centers and Manufacturing Make Up 94% of Spending Increase in 2024

National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in December 2024, 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 $1.241 trillion. Spending was down on a monthly basis in 9 of the 16 nonresidential…

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ABC To Host National Construction Trade Championships and Management Competition in Las Vegas on Feb. 26

In a few weeks, nearly 200 of the nation’s best construction professionals in trades such as carpentry, electrical, HVAC, millwright, plumbing and welding are set to compete at the premier skilled trades contest in Las Vegas on Feb. 26 at Associated Builders and Contractors’ 36th annual National Craft Championships. NCC celebrates…

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ABC: A Record-High 89.7% of US Construction Workers Are Not Union Members

According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2024 Union Members Summary released today, a record low 10.3% of the U.S. construction industry belongs to a union, a decrease from the prior historic low of 10.7% in 2023. BLS reports that 7,978,000 construction industry workers…

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ABC: Construction Industry Must Attract 439,000 Workers in 2025

The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 439,000 net new workers in 2025 to meet anticipated demand for construction services, according to a proprietary model developed and released today by Associated Builders and Contractors. In 2026, the industry will need to bring in 499,000 new workers as spending picks up…