The Blog

The construction industry had 248,000 job openings on the last day of July, 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 actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 51,000 last month and are down by 103,000 from the same time last year.

National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.21 trillion.

These are exciting times for ABC MA’s training affiliate, the Gould Construction Institute (GCI). And with finding and retaining qualified workers continuing to be the biggest issue in our industry, that translates to exciting times for member companies.

Construction input prices increased 0.4% in July compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.4% for the month.

Associated Builders and Contractors reports that its Construction Backlog Indicator held steady at 8.4 months in July, according to an ABC member survey conducted July 22 to Aug. 6. The reading is down 0.9 months from July 2023.

“A new trend in nonresidential construction is emerging, and it’s not a good thing,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Despite a bevy of megaprojects in certain parts of the nation, overall nonresidential construction spending appears to have entered a period of stagnation. The flattening of momentum has been apparent for the better part of a year, but the impact of higher interest rates, tighter credit conditions and a softening economy is increasingly apparent in the most recent data, which indicate that aggregate nonresidential construction spending is in decline.

The construction industry added 25,000 jobs on net in July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 239,000 jobs, an increase of 3%.

Massachusetts taxpayers dodged a bullet when the state Senate didn’t take up legislation passed by the House in the waning moments of the legislative session that would have made it easier for municipalities and state agencies to use union-only project labor agreements (PLAs) on construction projects.  Supporters of a level playing field in public construction projects must now remain vigilant, as PLA advocates may raise the issue again in informal session, which will continue through the November elections, and in which a single opposing vote can stop legislation from passing.

Medford Wellington Service Company is symbolic of a construction industry that has been radically transformed. This family company with more than half a century of history behind it is now the business continuity company that offers commercial services and construction expertise to clients across New England.

Unfortunately, politics is often as much a part of what we do as actual building. And as all of us know, it’s not easy being an open-shop contractor in Massachusetts.