Sources: Associated Builders & Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff An Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the construction industry added 110,000 jobs in March, bringing to 931,000 the number gained since April 2020, or nearly 84 percent of those jobs lost during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. The construction unemployment rate…
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PCA projects minor 2020-21 shipment drops, or gain, under two recovery models
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
Portland Cement Association Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Ed Sullivan offers two U.S. cement consumption scenarios around “U” or “W” shaped economic recovery curves, with respective 2020 and 2021 figures of -3.4 percent or +1.7 percent and -4.8 percent and -2.7 percent—this year’s projections measured against 2019 shipments.
Read MoreMarket experts gauge global economy’s impact on domestic construction
Source: Allen-Villere Partners, New Orleans
Strong stock market performance plus progress in U.S. and China trade discussions have helped temper concerns of an economic slowdown moving into 2020. In his latest Concrete Products dispatch, “Will headwinds from the global economy affect us?,” however, leading construction materials industry management consultant Pierre Villere discusses a potential 180-degree shift in market forces that could impact concrete demand.
Read MorePCA tames projections for 2019, 2020 cement consumption gains
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
The PCA Market Intelligence Group cement consumption forecast paints a limited growth pattern from 2017 levels, with this year trending a 2.9 percent gain, followed by 2.6 percent and 1.6 percent bumps in 2019-2020.
Read MoreAGC confirms industry headcount at 10-year high
Sources: Associated General Contractors of America, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
Construction employment increased by 13,000 in June and 282,000 over the past year, bringing the total industry payroll to 7.22 million—its highest level since May 2008. “The construction industry continues to add workers faster than the economy as a whole, and is paying premium wages to attract and retain [them],” affirms AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. “Employment gains are occurring in both residential and nonresidential construction. However, the industry is having to rely more on workers without construction experience, as the pool of unemployed construction workers has nearly evaporated.”
Read MoreEconomy, rapid deployment frame ACT’s CentroMix compact plants
Advanced Concrete Technologies, Inc. enters 2017 with a new line of affordable batch plants equal to a wide range of applications. The small footprint CentroMix models arrive on site pre-wired, pre-plumbed and factory tested for quick and easy installation—requiring merely a single electric, water and air connection to be up and running.
Read MorePCA’S Sullivan Firm On 2014 Growth Projection In 8 Percent Range
Although recent indicators point to a tempering of the U.S. economy, Portland Cement Association is maintaining its forecast for steady growth in construction and cement consumption during the next five years, starting with a projected 7.9 percent increase this year in powder shipments—nearly double the 4.5 percent increase the industry logged in 2013 over prior-year volume.
Read MorePCA economist firm on 2014 growth projection in 8 percent range
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
Although recent indicators point to a tempering of the U.S. economy, PCA is maintaining its forecast for steady growth in construction and cement consumption during the next five years, starting with a projected 7.9 percent increase this year in powder shipments, nearly double the 4.5 increase the industry logged in 2013 over prior-year volume.
Read MoreIllinois, Maryland, Virginia tops in LEED-certified space
The U.S. Green Building Council released its Top 10 States for LEED, the world’s most widely used and recognized green building rating system, highlighting the regions around the country that are at the forefront of sustainable building design and transformation.
Read MorePCA: Pavements belong in feds’ vehicle fuel economy, lower emissions equation
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
Responding to the White House’s just-announced second phase of fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks, targeted for 2015-16 rulemaking and implementation, PCA CEO Gregory Scott notes, “We should expand the debate beyond making more efficient [vehicles] to making more efficient infrastructure.”
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