Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics release, with data tables Associated Builders and Contractors analysis Associated General Contractors analysis As construction’s winter slowdown began, the industry’s unemployment rate worsened in December to 16% from 13.1% in November. But the industry did add 17,000 jobs last month, and its December rate was much improved over the December 2011 mark of 20.7%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.Those BLS industry-specific rates are not adjusted for seasonal swings. Jobless rates for the highly seasonal construction industry tend to climb in winter months, when the volume of projects dips.Construction economists said seasonal factors may

Materials Martin-Marietta Moves onAcquiring Vulcan Materials Martin-Marietta Materials, a Raleigh, N.C.-based aggregate supplier, made a tender offer on Dec. 12 to acquire Birmingham, Ala.-based Vulcan Materials Co. M-M has offered one of its shares for every two shares of Vulcan, a deal roughly valued at $4.7 billion. Vulcan operates in the Southeast, Southwest and California. M-M operates in the mid-Atlantic states, the Southeast and Midwest. M-M CEO C. Howard Nye, in a letter to Vulcan CEO Donald M. James, noted that the firms had been in merger discussions for over a year and a half but that Vulcan had broken

Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics release, including data tables AGC economist Ken Simonson's analysis ABC economist Anirban Basu's analysis Construction’s unemployment rate fell in November to 13.1% from October’s 13.7%. though the industry lost 12,000 jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.  The latest BLS monthly employment snapshot, released on Dec. 2, also indicated that construction’s November jobless rate was much better than November 2010’s rate of 18.8%.  It also was the lowest monthly rate since November 2008, when the figure was 12.7%.Although the rate shows improvement, Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors of America chief economist, said

Related Links: Read the Bureau of Labor Statistics' release Read the Associated General Contractors' analysis Read the Associated Builders and Contractors' analysis The construction industry’s unemployment rate rose in October, to 13.7% from September’s 13.3% level, but showed improvement over the October 2010 mark of 17.3%.The latest monthly employment update from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released on Nov. 4, also showed that construction lost 20,000 jobs in October, after gaining 27,000 the previous month.Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors chief economist, said, “Declining public-sector demand for construction, combined with slow growth in private-sector demand, is keeping construction employment mired in

Courtesy Smith Group ENR Art Department Related Links: Hashtag This: Social Media Risks and Rewards in Construction VHB/Eng-Wong, Taub and PB: Building Client Relationships with Social Media Corps Finds Facebook Excels for Flood Emergency Communications Writing the Social Media Policy Handbook at Burns & McDonnell, HOK In Social Media, Some Conversations Are Best Kept Private Water Social Networking Site Matches Water Providers With End Users Looking back on the past year spent working in marketing for Smith Group in Washington, D.C., Kate Erdy, 27, remembers the uncertainty she felt when she had to decide whether to take the job last

Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics release See Associated General Contractors' statement See Associated Builders and Contractors' analysis In an encouraging sign for construction, the industry’s jobless rate dipped in September, to 13.3%, from the August level of 13.5%, the Labor Dept.'s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Last month's mark also was much improved from the 17.2% rate in September 2010.Moreover, construction gained 26,000 jobs last month, seasonally adjusted, according to the latest monthly BLS unemployment report, released on Oct. 7.September was the 12th-straight month in which construction's unemployment rate improved over year-earlier figures.On the down side, however, construction’s unemployment

Related Links: Read the Bureau of Labor Statistics press release View analysis by AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson View analysis by ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu The construction industry's unemployment rate edged downward in August, to 13.5% from July’s 13.6%, the Labor Dept.'s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Last month's rate also was an improvement over the August 2010 level of 17.0%. But the latest monthly BLS unemployment report, released on Sept. 2, also said construction lost 5,000 jobs in August and construction’s jobless rate was still the highest among U.S. industry categories. Ken Simonson, the Associated General Contractors' chief

Attendees at the International Bridge Conference, held in June at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, saw something they had never seen before: the 3,500-sq-ft main pavilion was devoted to the all-stars of the South Korean engineering and construction world. The exhibition included Samsung, Daewoo, Hyundai, rail and highway agencies, and governmental research laboratories. Collage by Justin Reynolds A special ENR feature. Related Links: Main Story: Construction Takes Steps to Improve Workplace Diversity Chinese-Americans Find Themselves Bridging the Gap Between the U.S. and China It was only the second time in the conference's 27-year history that a country—rather than a

Endi Zhai is a cheerful, charismatic geotechnical engineer who can charm people into doing what he asks. For example, he persuaded top-level transportation officials, mayors, city councils, and some 200 engineers and contractors from several countries to attend the International Chinese Transportation Professionals Association conference, which was held in Los Angeles in May. PHOTO BY Michael Scott Kenney AMID TWO WORLDS: Chinese-Americans like Zhai have become key players in the new world order. Graphic by Justin Reynolds for ENR An ENR special feature. Related Links: Main Story: Where a New Inclusiveness Is Changing the Face of the Construction Industry Minorities

The idea of workplace diversity is nothing new, but its progress in the engineering and construction world is, well, diverse. Some firms take a minimal approach, adhering to federal rules regarding minority and disadvantaged businesses or anti-discrimination laws. Others cite diversity and inclusion as a core value and business imperative. Related Links: Minorities Lament their Low Numbers in Engineering and Construction How a Support Group for Gays in Aviation Took Flight Korean-Americans Build Cultural Inroads in U.S. Construction Chinese-Americans Find Themselves Bridging the Gap Between the U.S. and China A Generation of Iranians Displaced by Revolution Put Their Math and