ABC Celebrates House Passage of ABC-Supported Permitting Reform Legislation
Associated Builders and Contractors applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing two comprehensive, ABC-supported permitting reform bills: H.R. 3898, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act, and H.R. 4776, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act. “The PERMIT Act and the SPEED Act rank among the most comprehensive permitting reform measures advanced by…
Every State Had Construction Unemployment Rates Below 10% in September
The national September 2025 not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate was 3.8%, a 0.1% increase from September 2024, 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 just over half of states (26) had lower estimated construction unemployment rates over the same period,…
ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Falls Sharply in November, Confidence in Profit Margins Dips
Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.1 months in November, according to an ABC member survey conducted Nov. 20 to Dec. 8. The reading is down 0.3 months since both October 2025 and November 2024. View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data series. Backlog is…
ABC Applauds Court Decision Removing PLA Mandate From Federal Construction Project
Associated Builders and Contractors welcomed a decision by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that ruled in favor of an ABC federal contractor member challenging former President Joe Biden’s project labor agreement mandate on federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more, as applied to a specific solicitation. This ruling continues a pattern of successful legal…
Construction Employment Diverges In September As Half Of Metro Areas Add Employees, While Headcount Stalls Or Shrinks In The Other Half
Construction employment trends were evenly split between metro areas that added jobs between September 2024 and September 2025 and metros with flat or falling headcounts, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials noted that demand for industrial and data center construction remains robust, but demand in…
Construction Job Openings Remain ‘Extraordinarily Low’ in October
The construction industry had 213,000 job openings on the last day of October, 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…
ABC Welcomes Trump Administration’s Proposal to Clarify ‘Waters of the United States’
Associated Builders and Contractors issued the following statement from its vice president of government affairs, Kristen Swearingen, on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers release of a proposed rule that will clarify the definition of “waters of the United States.” “ABC supports the Trump administration’s proposed rule to clarify the Clean Water…
Pre-Shutdown Nonresidential Construction Spending Down in August
National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in August, 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 $1.24 trillion. Spending was down on a monthly basis in 10 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was down…
ABC Contractor Backlog and Confidence Slip in October
Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.4 months in October, according to an ABC member survey conducted Oct. 20 to Nov. 4. The reading is down 0.1 months since September but unchanged from October 2024. View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data series. Backlog was…
FMI Releases First Installment of 2025 Project Management Study
Part 1, “Why Project Management Still Fails,” highlights persistent industry challenges and opportunities for leaders to act FMI Corporation, a leading provider of consulting and investment banking services to the built environment, today announced the release of part one of its 2025 Project Manager Study. The first installment, Why Project Management Still Fails, examines the root…
