Author: agcnews

Construction employment fell in 61 and was unchanged in another 51 out of 358 metro areas between June 2021 and June 2022, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials noted that employment was falling or stagnant in nearly one-third of metro areas at a time when many construction firms are struggling to find enough qualified workers to hire and cope with supply chain challenges and rising materials prices. “Construction employment likely would have expanded in more metro areas if firms had the materials they need and the workers they want,” said Stephen…

CONSTRUCTION SPENDING FALLS IN JUNE WITH DECLINES IN RESIDENTIAL AND NONRESIDENTAL ACTIVITY AMID GROWING LABOR AND MATERIALS SHORTAGES Construction Association Official Says Supply Chain Challenges and Lack of Workers is Suppressing Demand for New Construction Amid Higher Construction Costs and Longer Schedules Total construction spending fell by 1.1 percent in June as spending on new housing and nonresidential projects declined compared to May, according to an analysis the Associated General Contractors of America released today of federal spending data. Read more

Seeking to find ways to help America build, key congressional leaders bring in AGC to talk about its Climate Change Task Force report, the challenges of the federal environmental permitting process and more. On Tuesday, July 19, AGC’s Leah Pilconis participated in a roundtable discussion with the House Republican’s Energy, Climate, and Conservation Task Force. This particular discussion was part of their Let America Build series discussing obstacles to the United States producing energy, deploying innovative technologies, and building infrastructure. The event provided AGC with an opportunity to talk to Members of Congress, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Select…

For more than two years, the U.S. construction industry has been buffeted by unprecedented increases in material costs, supply-chain bottlenecks, and a tight labor market. AGC’s Construction Inflation Alert is intended to help owners, public officials, and others understand what contractors are experiencing. The July 2022 edition—the 8th since early 2021, outlines steps owners and contractors can take to adjust to the fast-changing market conditions. Chapters and members are encouraged to forward the latest information about conditions, such as supplier newsletters and “Dear Valued Customer” letters, to Chief Economist Ken Simonson at ken.simonson@agc.org. AGC will continue to update the Alert as needed. 

In this episode, AGC’s own Jimmy Christianson, Vice President of Government Relations, and Deniz Mustafa, Program Coordinator for the Building Division take a dive into what Buy America/n requirements are, why we have them, and what we may be able to expect from new Buy America Build America Act regulations that come with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As government agencies work through their individual processes and procedures, AGC would like to prepare members for imminent changes involving material procurement. Guests:Deniz Mustafa, Program Coordinator, Building Division, AGC of America, deniz.mustafa@agc.orgJimmy Christianson, Vice President, Government Relations, AGC of America, jimmy.christianson@agc.org Resources:Made in…

Construction employment in June continued to trail pre-pandemic levels in more than one-third of the states despite record job openings, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials called on government officials to allow employers to sponsor more foreign-born workers and support more career and technical education to broaden opportunities for workers to gain construction skills. “Construction employment has stalled in many states, even though contractors have plenty of projects needing more employees, due to a dearth of qualified workers,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Only half the…

According to the latest Contractor Compensation Quarterly (CCQ) published by PAS, Inc., contractors are projecting 2022 construction staff wages to increase an average of 4.17%, as reported by over 340 companies in the 40th edition of the Construction / Construction Management Staff Salary Survey.  For pay increase comparison, according to the WorldatWork, across all industries exempt professionals saw 2021 actual increases of 3.0% and they are projecting 2022 increases of 3.3%.  For construction WorldatWork reported a 3.4% increase in 2021 and an early projection of 3.4% for 2022.  PAS offers AGC members a special AGC discount to access PAS products. For more information, contact PAS…

Employers Have Until July 31, 2022, to Update I-9s DHS adopted the temporary policy in response to the difficulties many individuals experienced with renewing documents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that document-issuing authorities have reopened and/or provided alternatives to in-person renewals, DHS ended this flexibility May 1, 2022, employers must only accept unexpired List B documents. If an employee presented an expired List B document between May 1, 2020, and April 30, 2022, employers are required to update their Forms I-9 by July 31, 2022. See table below for update requirements. If the employee’s Form I‑9 was completed between May 1, 2020 and…

Price escalation and supply chain disruptions continue as top issues in construction. Getting a price escalation clause that adjusts prices and payments up or down based on an objective index like the ConsensusDocs 200.1 standard price escalation clause is the fairest and best way to combat this problematic issue. However, there is not a magic bullet or one-size-fits-all approach on this issue – it is an all-of-the-above approach. The early procurement of supplies is a common-sense approach that subcontractors, general contractors, and even owners employ to keep projects running on budget and on time. However, early procurement of supplies raises another issue:…

Employers that test workers for COVID-19 should review their policies to ensure they comply with updated guidelines released July 12 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In prior guidance, the EEOC broadly allowed employers to screen workers for COVID-19 without running afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) due to the state of the pandemic. In revised guidelines, however, the agency said the employers may continue to administer viral tests as a condition of entering a worksite, so long as they can show that the testing practices are job-related and consistent with business necessity. The update “makes clear that going…