Construction + Economy

Construction employment declined by 20,000 jobs in November while the industry’s unemployment rate hit 12.2%, according to an analysis of new federal data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. The construction employment figures likely reflect the fact many contractors have already cut staff and delayed hiring new employees because of the threat [...]

NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American business conditions climbed nearly 13 points in October, its third straight monthly increase, to 58.3. The index reached its highest mark for since April, while more respondents than not reported an improved business environment for the first time since June. The EBCI for future North [...]

The design and construction industry, still reeling from the real estate crash, could face another $2 billion in lost work if Congress and the White House fail to reach agreement on a federal budget in time to avoid massive mandatory federal spending cuts on January 2, an American Institute of Architects (AIA) analysis warns. Read [...]

Billings at architecture firms in September increased at their fastest pace since late 2010. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI), maintained by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) [...]

Since the beginning of the recession in early 2008, architecture firms have collectively seen their revenue drop by 40% and have had to cut personnel by nearly a third. Despite a national recovery from the recession in 2009, construction activity continued to spiral downward, according to the recently released 2012 AIA Firm Survey, now available [...]

NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American business conditions rose to 42.1 in September, up from 35.7 and 38.6, respectively, in August and July. Despite rising to a three-month high, though, the index remained short of the 50-point level indicating an equal number of panelists see conditions improving as see them deteriorating. [...]

On the heels of a nearly three-point increase, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) climbed into positive terrain for the first time in five months. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the August ABI score was 50.2, up from the mark of 48.7 in July. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services [...]

NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index has shown a positive performance in the first half of 2012, as it gained 2.9% on a quarter-to-quarter basis from the first to second quarters of 2012. On a year-over-year basis, the index increased by 6.6%, indicating that aggregate lighting equipment demand has improved appreciably since the recovery began; however, it [...]

The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Architecture Billings Index (ABI) pointed to a slower decline in July in design activity at U.S. architecture firms. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The AIA reported the July ABI score [...]