Construction's jobless rate improved in April, declining to 17.8% from March's 20%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Last month's figure also was markedly better than the industry's April 2010 level of 21.8%, but construction's rate remained the worst among major U.S. industries.BLS's latest monthly employment update, released on May 6, shows that construction gained 5,000 jobs in April, according to preliminary numbers. But the bureau also observed that total construction employment "has shown little net movement since early 2010, after having fallen sharply during the prior three years."Looking at construction segments, heavy and civil construction recorded an increase of 12,700
At the first national conference for women in the trades held on April 30 in Oakland, Calif., more than 625 craftswomen gathered to learn how to boost their share of the workforce. They are not content to see women stuck at 2.5% of the craft union workforce, a national average they say they have not exceeded in 30 years. The meeting, co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Dept., included women from the U.S. and Canada. Photo courtesy of Women Building The Nation Tradeswomen from across the country and across the building trades’ unions attended the event in California.
As city and county officials and local trade unions work out the kinks in adhering to San Francisco's new local hire law, which went into effect on March 25, a state assemblyman from a county to the south is pushing new legislation that will shut down main elements of the ordinance. Photo: Courtesy of Webcor Webcor is building the San Francisco General Hospital replacement project, which would have been severely hampered by the new local-hire law. The new San Francisco law, commissioned by Supervisor John Avalos, mandates that 20% of all project hours within each trade be performed by local
Construction's jobless rate continues to show a positive trend, improving to 20% in March from February's 21.8% rate. Though last month's mark remains worrisomely high, it was much better than March 2010's 24.9%. Related Links: U.S. Department of Labor News Release ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu's Analysis AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Analysis March also was the sixth consecutive month in which construction's jobless rate improved over the year-earlier levels. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest monthly employment report, released on April 1, also shows that construction lost 1,000 jobs last month. All of construction jobs shed were in
Construction’s February unemployment rate of 21.8% showed improvement over January’s 22.5% rate and was a substantial drop from February 2010’s 27.1%, but the industry’s jobless level remains the highest among U.S. industries, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Released on March 4, the BLS report shows that construction gained 33,000 jobs in February. However, BLS notes that the industry’s February pickup in jobs followed a January loss of 22,000 jobs, which “may have reflected severe winter weather.” Jobs increased in February in all construction segments, except non-residential building, which had a loss of 2,000 jobs. Specialty trade
Heading into the summer bargaining season, the goodwill created between New York City contractors and construction unions during landmark labor negotiations in 2009 appears to be spent. Labor bosses are crying foul over an employer campaign aimed at reducing the gap between union and open-shop rates. Photo: For ENR By Michael Falco New York building firms’ rep Coletti (left) and union head LaBarbera in 2009 after inking pact to cut costs. Relations now are strained. Rather than working exclusively with union trades representatives, the Building Trades Employers’ Association, which represents about 1,700 contractors citywide, is reaching out directly to rank-and-file
Generations are defined by the core values they carry for a lifetime, according to Chuck Underwood, founder and principal of Generational Imperative Inc., a Miamisburg, Ohio-based consultancy. The youngest people now flowing into the workforce are first-wave Millennials, aged 18 to 29 years old. Some demographers set the start of this generation slightly earlier, but there is broad agreement on who the Millennials are, what makes them tick and why managers and colleagues should care. Related Links: Millennials Bring New Attitudes The Millennials: Who They Are, And Why They Are A Force to be Reckoned With Conrado Rodrigues Elizabeth McAndrew-Benavides
RODRIGUES A 2009 graduate with a B.A. in building construction management and now working for SIKON Construction, Conrado Rodrigues believes his generation holds the key to a more productive industry. Related Links: Millennials Bring New Attitudes Who Is a ‘Millennial’? The Millennials: Who They Are, And Why They Are A Force to be Reckoned With Elizabeth McAndrew-Benavides Ellina Yin Jonathan Gaul Jonatan Schumacher “While the older generation tends to react to change negatively, the younger generation is more open to changing the way the process is done and using new technology to increase the efficacy of the building process,” says
YIN Ellina Yin likes to quote Horace Mann, who said, “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for mankind.” Yin says the deep motivation she drew from that quotation led her to construction waste-water treatment as her path to victory. “I’ve always had an interest in water and preserving the oceans,” Yin says. “I can’t imagine myself in any other field.” Related Links: Millennials Bring New Attitudes Who Is a ‘Millennial’? The Millennials: Who They Are, And Why They Are A Force to be Reckoned With Conrado Rodrigues Elizabeth McAndrew-Benavides Jonathan Gaul Jonatan Schumacher The 25-year-old is
SCHUMACHER Jonatan Schumacher epitomizes a generation that has grown up with technology, and he is implementing this long-ingrained technical familiarity to keep his firm on the cutting edge and pull his older co-workers into the future. Related Links: Millennials Bring New Attitudes Who Is a ‘Millennial’? The Millennials: Who They Are, And Why They Are A Force to be Reckoned With Conrado Rodrigues Elizabeth McAndrew-Benavides Ellina Yin Jonathan Gaul “He has a very unique set of skills,” says Robert K. Otani, vice president of Thornton Tomasetti and Schumacher’s manager. “This complex skill set includes geometry, engineering and architecture—that’s a rare