Image courtesy of ABC University of Central Missouri graduate Brandon Moore is making a name for himself as a welder in Texas. Brandon Moore has an unusual job for someone with a degree in philosophy. A graduate of the University of Central Missouri, Moore works as a welder for Jacobs Field Services, a contractor at an ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas. Although he says he enjoyed his time in college, he questions the market value of his education and wonders what might have happened had he spent four years traveling the world instead of grinding away over the works of
Related Links: Reuters: Qatar building boom proves a challenge for foreign construction firms Construction workers from India and Nepal are believed to make up the largest contingent of migrants in Qatar, building an estimated $150 billion worth of buildings and infrastructure in the ambitious Gulf nation over the next decade.But even as global media and organizations speculate on poor—some say slavery-like—working conditions and other risk factors that they say have spiked fatalities over the past several years, home-country governments are mixed in their responses to the plight of their expatriates.Of the estimated 1.5 million workers in the country, 600,000 come
Related Links: Bureau of Labor statistics release with data tables AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's analysis ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu's analysis Construction's total workforce was flat in June, but the industry's unemployment rate declined from May's level and showed strong year-over-year improvement, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.The latest BLS report on the nation's employment picture, released on July 2, showed that construction's June jobless rate edged down to 6.3% from the previous month's 6.7%.June's figure also was markedly better than 8.2% a year previously, marking the 57th straight month of year-over-year jobless-rate decreases for the industry. The BLS
Related Links: Construction's Jobless Rate Keeps Falling in May Getting Down To Business After a nearly two-year hiring freeze, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command is aggressively recruiting to fill nearly 3,000 positions this year across the U.S., particularly in engineering and procurement slots.NAVFAC's ability to recruit and hire has been severely hampered since 2013, when the federal government underwent sequestration and a shutdown, says Jennifer LaTorre, NAVFAC executive director.After furloughs and two years of attrition, the agency that handles construction for the Navy and Marine Corps has a vacancy rate of roughly 14% globally. These factors created the need to
Photo Courtesy of Mat-Su Borough \A $120-million rail link at Port MacKenzie, near Anchorage, is set to follow local-hire rule. Related Links: Gov. Bill Walker: Why I'm restoring Alaska Hire requirements With continuing oil-price impacts on Alaska jobs and a looming state budget impasse that could send thousands of public employees to the unemployment line, Gov. Bill Walker (I) on June 10 reinstated a 90% local-hire rule for state-funded construction projects. The rule, which would affect both blue- and white-collar jobs, is drawing a mixed reaction from local contractors.According to Walker, a governor is allowed to restore the rule if
Related Links: Canada National Energy Board's Final Audit Zings TransCanada's Fieldwork Engineer Blows Whistle on Canada Pipeline Inspections The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association told Canada's parliament in May that pipeline regulator, the National Energy Board, does not have the funding to hire and maintain the quality of engineering staff needed to perform its functions.In response, NEB Chair Peter Watson told lawmakers, at a senate committee hearing on the pending Pipeline Safety Act, that salaries offered by the board cannot compete with those paid in the private sector. Plus, entry-level engineers hired by NEB jump ship when they have more experience,
Photo by AP Wideworld Union construction workers in Indianapolis rally in favor of prevailing rates in Indiana. Related Links: Wall Steet Journal prevailing wage editorial Republicans Put Repeal of Prevailing Wages on Front Burner On July 1, state prevailing wages in Indiana pass into history, following repeal by state lawmakers in April. Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois are the next states where repeal is possible, provided the political chips fall into place.How much of a catalyst Indiana will be for repeal elsewhere remains unclear. The state's open-shop contractors are looking forward to bidding on projects they believe they had no chance
Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics release with data tables AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's comments and analysis ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu's comments and analysis Construction's unemployment rate continued to decline in May compared with April's level and the year-earlier rate as the industry added 17,000 jobs, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported.BLS, in a report released on June 5, said that construction's May jobless rate fell to 6.7% from April's 7.5%. It also was a steep drop from May 2014's level of 8.6%.Last month's rate was the lowest for May since 2006, when it was 6.6%.
Union dominance of state-funded public works faces its most serious challenge in decades, with Republican governors and lawmakers campaigning to topple or pare long-standing prevailing wage laws.The Midwest is a particular hot spot, as it has been in the past, but the wage contests are playing out from Nevada to New York, where Democrats also are divided.In New York City, a program that provides financial benefits to affordable housing is the heart of an apparent disagreement between Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, both Democrats. DeBlasio wants to exempt such housing from prevailing wages while Cuomo seems not to.In
Enlarge EFCG Diversity decreases with seniority and responsibility, says EFCG survey. Related Links: Industry Women Tackle Still Nagging Worksite Challenges Experts Outline Key Workforce Rule Changes for Federal Contractors Via Executive Order, Obama Pushes for Ethical Contracting EFCG Human Resources Linked-In Group link Meeting diversity goals for employee numbers and pay continues to daunt engineering and construction firms, but their human-resource managers say they face their own challenges in gaining more visibility and influence in company C-suites.In its latest survey of HR trends in design, design-build and program management firms, financial management consultant EFCG found that the median proportion of
RSS
