Associated Builders and Contractors has released its sixth annual construction technology report on health and safety tech and innovation, which spotlights how contractors are leveraging technology, data and collaboration to address the industry’s health and safety challenges while creating measurable improvements in workforce performance and operational excellence. ABC released the report during Careers in Construction Month to celebrate construction safety professionals’ commitment to protecting workers.

Ahead of Careers in Construction Month, Associated Builders and Contractors has highlighted new research showing that multiskilled construction crews can reduce completion time by about 30% and increase production by 37% to 50% on construction scopes where multiple trades must work in tight sequence. The findings come from controlled field trials detailed in the Simplar Foundation’s Improving Productivity in Multi-Trade Construction Workflows, the second report from the first-ever national multiskilling dataset.

The construction industry had 251,000 job openings on the last day of August, 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 decreased by 48,000 last month but are up by 38,000 from the same time last year.

The construction industry added 11,000 jobs on net in September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has increased by 109,000 jobs, or 1.3%.

Construction input prices increased 1.2% in August compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 1.2% for the month.

Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rebounded to 8.5 months in August, according to an ABC member survey conducted Aug. 20 to Sept. 4. The reading is up 0.5 months from July and unchanged on a year-ago basis.

The construction industry added 22,000 jobs on net in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 120,000 jobs, an increase of 1.5%.

National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.1% in July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.286 trillion.

The construction industry had 326,000 job openings on the last day of July, 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 increased by 28,000 last month and are up by 21,000 from the same time last year.

Overall construction and nonresidential input prices both increased 0.1% in July compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price data.