Author: agcnews

There’s still time to apply for AGC of America’s 2027 awards programs, with entries due October 31, 2026. Opportunities include the Baldwin Group Build America Awards, Marvin M. Black Partnering Excellence category, AGC in the Community Awards, Culture of CARE Impact Awards, AGC Innovation Awards, and the Bowen Prize for Great Builders. The programs recognize outstanding projects, collaboration, community service, workplace culture, innovation, and individual leadership across the construction industry. Apply by October 31 and learn more at agc.org/awards.

Construction firms add 11,000 jobs in September and employment rises 1.3% over the past year, outpacing the 0.3% increase in total nonfarm employment. Nonresidential contractors account for all of the monthly gains, while construction wages climb 4.3% and the number of jobseekers with recent construction experience falls 11% from a year ago, highlighting continued difficulty filling positions. AGC of America says sustaining job growth will require both addressing workforce shortages and maintaining construction demand through a new long-term highway and transportation bill and policies that allow responsible data center and other major projects to move forward. Read more.

Construction spending rose 0.9% in August but was still 1.7% below a year earlier, according to AGC’s analysis of new government data. Data center and power projects kept growing, while manufacturing and residential construction stayed below last year’s levels. AGC warned that labor shortages, rising materials costs and interest rates, and a short-term highway funding extension that leaves out key programs could stall any further gains. The association is urging Congress to pass a long-term highway bill soon after Election Day. Read more.

Originally built in 1925 as a movie theater, Powell Hall has been the home of the St. Louis Symphony since 1968. A major renovation and expansion has now reimagined the historic landmark for a new generation of performers, audiences and the St. Louis community. The project added approximately 64,000 square feet of space, including expanded areas for patrons, musicians, backstage operations, education and learning. The front-of-house expansion was designed with the visitor experience in mind, creating a welcoming new entrance, grand lobby, additional amenities and a monumental spiral staircase. The staircase has become one of the defining architectural features of…

Construction employment increases in 177, or 49%, of 360 metro areas between August 2025 and August 2026, as data centers, power projects, and advanced manufacturing plants continue to drive gains in select markets. Houston adds the most construction jobs over the year, while Baton Rouge posts the largest percentage increase; Atlanta records the largest job loss, and Walla Walla has the steepest percentage decline. AGC of America says the uneven growth underscores the need for policies that support construction demand, including a new multiyear highway and transit bill, greater certainty on tariffs, and a workable path for responsible data center…

Construction employment increased in 35 states and the District of Columbia from August 2025 to August 2026, while 31 states added jobs between July and August, according to an analysis of new federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned, however, that several policy developments threaten to reverse those gains, including an explosion of moratoriums on data centers, delayed passage of long-term federal funding for highways and transit, and frequent changes in tariffs. “A solid majority of states added construction jobs in August on both a monthly and year-over-year basis,” said Ken Simonson, the…

For construction professionals, safety means being prepared for the unexpected. For one California construction leader, that preparation included keeping naloxone — a medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose — readily available. After an inspector shared a personal story about his son experiencing an overdose, the experience prompted further research into the opioid crisis and the importance of having naloxone available in an emergency. That research ultimately led to a simple decision: Make sure every project under his direction in California had naloxone on site. That preparation became critical in November 2025. While attending a conference, he heard people…

The producer price index for inputs to new nonresidential construction rose 8.9% from August 2025 to August 2026 as conflicts in the Middle East and steep tariffs on key materials led to rising prices that are contributing to construction project delays, according to an analysis and a survey by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials said the rising materials prices, along with higher labor costs, are making it harder for many projects to pencil out, prompting some developers to put planned construction on hold. “Construction firms are being squeezed by tariff- and war-induced…

What does it take to build a facility capable of advancing how the nation monitors and understands its water resources? In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the answer includes a 350-foot tow tank, a 250-foot-class tilting flume, a wave generator, specialized laboratories, environmental chambers and highly sophisticated testing spaces—all brought together in a one-of-a-kind facility for the U.S. Geological Survey. The Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) on The University of Alabama campus serves as a national center for developing, testing, repairing and calibrating the hydrologic equipment used to monitor streamflow, groundwater, water quality and other water resources across the country. The 95,000-square-foot facility includes…

Construction firms added 22,000 jobs in August and the industry’s unemployment fell to an all-time low of 3.1% according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government data released today. Association officials cautioned, however, that results of its latest workforce survey finds contractors struggling to fill openings amid surging demand for data center construction and a crackdown on immigration. “The boom in data center construction, along with advanced manufacturing and power projects, is supporting a strong upturn in industry employment and wages despite weakness in homebuilding and other project types,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s…