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ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds Healthy 19,000 Jobs in April

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:01:59 GMT

The construction industry added 9,000 jobs on net in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 50,000 jobs, an increase of 0.6%.

Nonresidential construction employment increased by 19,000 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential specialty traded added the most jobs, increasing by 12,600 positions. Nonresidential building and heavy and civil engineering added 5,600 and 800 jobs, respectively, in April.

The construction unemployment rate was 3.8% in April. Unemployment across all industries remained unchanged at 4.3% and is 0.1 percentage point higher than it was a year ago.

“Construction employment expanded modestly in April, but that’s largely due to weakness on the residential side of the industry,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Nonresidential construction employment rose at a healthy pace for the month and is up a respectable 2.0% over the past year. This strength can be traced to surging data center construction spending, which is up 34% over the past year. It also helps explain why ABC member expectations for hiring remain elevated, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, despite tepid industrywide job growth.”

ABC: Construction Hiring Still Exceptionally Slow in March

Mon, 11 May 2026 17:46:17 GMT

The construction industry had 224,000 job openings on the last day of March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 23,000 last month but are down by 54,000 from the same time last year.

“The industry’s labor market continues to be defined by an utter lack of churn,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Construction industry hiring rebounded from February’s historically low level but remains extremely subdued. Contractors also remain reluctant to fire workers; the layoff/discharge rate fell to the slowest pace since early 2024 and is lower than at any point prior to 2022. At the same time, workers are also reluctant to quit compared to the prevailing trend of the late 2010s and early 2020s. While contractors remain confident that their staffing levels will improve this year, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, these stagnant labor market dynamics suggest that the industry remains in a holding pattern, one it will not exit until economic uncertainty lessens.”

Conflicting Court Decisions on NLRB Cemex decision Make Supreme Court Action Likely

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:43:50 GMT

With the April 21, 2026 Ninth Circuit court’s affirmation of the NLRB Cemex bargaining order coming on the heels of the March 6^th circuit rejection of it, the NLRB will likely continue applying its union-friendly organizing framework outside the Sixth Circuit (MA is in the 1^st Circuit). These conflicting court decisions raise the likelihood of a Supreme Court showdown.

Under Cemex, the NLRB sped up the timeframe for elections and ruled that unfair labor practices committed by an employer in conjunction with an election can require automatic union recognition, bypassing an actual employee vote. Under the prior longstanding Gissel standard, unfair labor practices did not lead to automatic union recognition, and generally resulted in employer sanctions, or, if serious, a new election.

Next Steps and Future Outlook:

Circuit Split & Supreme Court: The Sixth Circuit rejected the Cemex framework (March 2026), while the Ninth Circuit upheld the order. This conflict makes a Supreme Court review likely.
Continued Enforcement for Now, But Labor Dept. Changes: Despite the 6th Circuit setback, the NLRB thus far has continued to enforce the Cemex framework, which requires employers to voluntarily recognize unions or file a request for an election within two weeks of a demand. But Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned on April 20, and Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling, more management-oriented, has been named acting secretary. ABC supports Sonderling. Also, President Trump has nominated James Macy to be the newest NLRB Board member. If confirmed by the Senate, Macy would give Republicans a 3-1 working majority on the five-member Board (with one seat still open), positioning the Board to revisit and potentially reverse many pro-union/employee Biden-era decisions.
Strategic Employer Response: Employers should focus on preemptive training to avoid unfair labor practices and be prepared for expedited union election timelines. Any ABC MA members dealing with union issues can contact Greg Beeman at greg@abcma.org.

Mistakes In Completing Employment Eligibility Form I-9 May Now Result in Significant Penalties

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:25:29 GMT

Take Action by Reviewing Company Procedures

ICE penalties are increasing to $300 to $3000 per violation. Employers need to ensure compliance to escape extraordinary penalties.

ICE’s revised I-9 inspection fact sheet sets forth many new substantive violations, which were previously viewed as technical errors.
The fact sheet appears changes longstanding dictates of ICE’S prior memo setting out substantive and technical violations.
Employers need to review their I-9 forms in light of these changes.

On March 16, 2026, the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued new rules regarding substantive and technical violations of Form I-9. These changes were made to ICE’s “Form I-9 Inspection Under Immigration and Nationality Act § 274A,” which is a longstanding fact sheet that lays out the I-9 inspection process.

Since the enactment of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), U.S. employers have been required to verify the identity and employment authorization of all employees hired after November 6, 1986, by completing Form I‑9. ICE enforces this requirement via administrative inspections. An inspection begins with a Notice of Inspection (NOI), which requires employers to produce Forms I-9 and various employment-related documents. Employers may request up to 3 days to prepare for such an inspection.

The Virtue Memo published in 1997 and named after the INS Acting Executive Commissioner of Programs set forth what the agency considered substantive Form I-9 errors subject to fines for violations, and correctable technical errors. That Memo was never converted into regulations, but it has been followed for 29 years by ICE and the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO).. OCAHO has held that dissemination of the Interim Guidelines to the public may be viewed as an invitation for the public to rely upon them as representing agency policy and the government is so bound, and failure to follow its own guidance is grounds for dismissal of those claims. See, e.g., United States v. WSC Plumbing, Inc., 9 OCAHO no. 1071, 11-12 (2001).

New Substantive Violations

Based on a comparison of the March 2026 fact sheet and the Virtue Memo, the following errors are now treated as substantive Form I-9 violations:

Failure to ensure an employee provides date of birth (DOB) in Section 1;
Failure to ensure an employee provides their USCIS number in Section 1;
Failure to record a date in Section 1 next to employee signature;
No expiration date listed in Section 1, Box 4, regardless of whether such expiration date is listed in Section 2, List A, and/or the Employment Authorization Document (EAD);
Use of Spanish-language I-9 outside of Puerto Rico;
Missing name and title of the employer representative;
List A, B, or C data not fully recorded/incorrectly recorded in Section 2, such as name of document, number of document, issuing authority, or expiration date, regardless of whether a copy of an underlying document, such as green card or driver’s license, was retained;
Failure to provide the first day of employment in the Certification;
Failure to ensure that the preparer and/or translator’s complete name, address, signature, and date are provided on Form I-9 at the time of completion in Supplement A;
When utilizing remote verification procedure, the employer representative fails to check the alternative procedure box in Section 2 or Supplement B indicating that remote inspection was used and/or is not an active E-Verify participant when using the alternative procedure; and
Failures of electronic I-9 system’s audit trails, electronic signature protocols, or security documentation that falls short of specific DHS standards.

New Technical Errors

Additionally, the fact sheet sets forth “new” technical errors, many of which were already widely considered technical errors but not specifically set forth in the Virtue Memo:

If an employer is enrolled in E-Verify, failing to ensure that the employee’s Social Security Number is listed and correct in Section 1;
Failing to record the employee’s complete name at the top of page 2, if applicable, at the top of Supplement A, or at the top of Supplement B;
Failing to ensure that an employee provides their other last names used, if any;
Failing to record an employee's new name, if applicable, in the appropriate section of Supplement B during reverification;
Failing to use the version of Form I-9 that was current at the time the form was initially completed;
Failing to ensure an employee provides an address in Section 1; and
Failing to provide the business address in Section 2.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

In the past two years, ICE has increased I‑9 audit activity, with industries such as construction, staffing, hospitality manufacturing, and retail seeing disproportionate enforcement attention. The reclassification of errors raises the stakes of inspections in an already aggressive enforcement environment.

The new substantive violations mean there will be much higher financial exposure for employers. For more than 25 years, immigration compliance attorneys have informed employers that specific violations, such as technical errors, do not require remediation prior to the start of an ICE I-9 audit, as ICE allows time to correct these errors during the audit process. However, these technical errors will now be classified as substantive violations and must be remediated before ICE issues their NOIs.

By expanding the list of substantive violations, ICE has substantially reduced employers’ ability to avoid fines for routine administrative mistakes. For large employers with hundreds or thousands of I‑9s, the cumulative exposure can be substantial.

ACTION ITEMS FOR EMPLOYERS:

Contact their immigration compliance attorney and request an internal I-9 audit. Even if one has been done in the last few years, employers should go back and review their audit results to determine whether previously identified technical errors that are now substantive violations were remediated after the audit.
If an employer uses an electronic I-9 system, it should ensure full compliance with federal regulatory requirements, including audit trails, indexing, and electronic signature standards.
Evaluate proper use of DHS-authorized alternative procedures and E-Verify enrollment, if applicable.
Avoid reliance on copies of documents to cure missing data on Forms I-9, as ICE no longer treats such errors as technical errors.
Retrain authorized representatives on proper I-9 completion requirements, emphasizing completeness of Sections 1 and 2, and Supplement B.

With penalties soon to reach $300 to $3,000 for each violation, and the above changes on what will be considered as substantive and subject to a fine, it’s vital that employers to take steps to secure compliance.

Above information based on Littler Mendelson bulletin.

National Craft Championships highlight quality training

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:47:59 GMT

By Luiza Mills, Interstate Electrical Corporation

Each year ABC’s national convention is jam packed with events and award presentations. This year’s convention in Salt Lake City last month was no exception, but amid all the noteworthy moments, I’d like to take a moment to shine a light on the National Craft Championships that were also part of the agenda.

At the national championships, apprentices from across the country who have won local competitions participate in hands-on competitions in a range of trades.

ABC MA apprentices have always done our chapter proud at the national championships, and that was true again this year even though we didn’t have any who took home medals. Christopher Natsis from Professional Electrical Contractors of Connecticut participated in the Electrical-Residential category, Chase Mitchell from DECCO in Pipefitting, Damien Underwood from Notch Mechanical Constructors in Tig Welding, and Notch’s Sam LaPrise in Pipe Welding.

These competitors are the future of our industry and of ABC MA, and they are testament to the quality of training our companies provide. The future is even brighter now with the opening of the Gould Construction Institute’s new Billerica training facility in the last couple years. It provides a venue where Gould can offer hands-on training – and allows us to host the local championships each November at our own facility.

So here’s to Chris, Chase, Damien and Sam, and here’s to the Gould Construction Institute and all our companies that are training the next generation of trade professionals. This November, come on out to Billerica and watch the next group of apprentices who will ascend to leadership roles in our Chapter and the industry as a whole. You’ll be glad you did.

ABC: Slowest Rate of Construction Hiring on Record in February

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:59:21 GMT

The construction industry had 202,000 job openings on the last day of February, 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 28,000 in February and are down by 53,000 from the same time last year.

“Construction hiring fell to the slowest rate on record in February,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “At the same time, contractors remained reluctant to lay off workers while employees were even more reluctant to leave. The combination of historically slow hiring and exceedingly few separations made February 2026 the month with the least construction labor force churn since the BLS began this survey in December 2000.

“Of course, this data pertains to February, when the Strait of Hormuz was open and the price of oil was under $100 per barrel,” said Basu. “While contractors continue to express optimism regarding their staffing intentions, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, recent data and developments suggest that hiring is unlikely to rebound in the near future.”

ABC: Construction Employment Rebounds by 26,000 in March

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:55:04 GMT

The construction industry added 26,000 jobs in March, 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 grown by 57,000 jobs, an increase of 0.7%.

Nonresidential construction employment increased by 12,200 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential building added the most jobs, increasing by 4,500 positions. Nonresidential specialty trade and heavy and civil engineering added 3,900 and 3,800 jobs, respectively, in March.

The construction unemployment rate was 6.7% in March. Unemployment across all industries dropped to 4.3% but is still 0.1 percentage points higher than one year ago.

“Construction employment rebounded in March as both the residential and nonresidential segments added jobs for the month,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Industrywide employment has expanded by an average of 19,300 jobs per month in 2026. That’s a marked improvement from 2025, when construction employment actually declined, but there remains cause for concern about the industry’s outlook.

“The March jobs data do not capture the detrimental ways in which the conflict in Iran will continue to affect the construction industry,” said Basu. “Oil prices have risen to heights not seen since 2022 and diesel prices have soared to $5.40 per gallon, up more than $1.90 per gallon from the start of 2026. At the same time, higher treasury yields have put renewed pressure on borrowing costs. While contractors were relatively optimistic about the near-term outlook as of February, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, it remains to be seen how long that optimism can persist under current economic conditions.”

Lawsuit Alleges OEM Coordination Behind HVAC Price Increases

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:46:49 GMT

By: Joanna R. Turpin

A class-action lawsuit filed March 20, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan alleges that several of the largest HVAC equipment manufacturers coordinated actions that led to higher prices beginning in January 2020.

The case, Berg v. Robert Bosch, LLC, et al., was filed by plaintiff Alyssa Berg, who is seeking to represent a class of individuals and businesses that purchased HVAC equipment from 2020-present. The complaint names Trane, Carrier, Daikin, Bosch, Lennox, Rheem, and AAON as defendants, noting that together these companies control more than 90% of the U.S. HVAC equipment market.

The lawsuit alleges that, beginning in January 2020 and continuing through today (the “class period”), the defendants participated in a coordinated effort to increase prices for residential and commercial HVAC equipment. The complaint characterizes these actions as a form of price-fixing, asserting that manufacturers engaged in a series of “frequent and repeated secret meetings, information sharing, communications, and public signaling [that] drove the prices of HVAC equipment to historic levels.”

Price Increases

Manufacturers have publicly attributed price increases in recent years to a range of factors, including supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, rising raw material costs, regulatory changes such as updated efficiency standards, and the phasedown of HFC refrigerants under the AIM Act. However, the plaintiffs contend these factors do not fully explain the scale of price increases since 2020. The complaint argues that the cited cost pressures served as “pretextual justifications, unsupported by the actual data.” For example, it states that the COVID-19 pandemic does not account for the magnitude of HVAC equipment price increases during the class period, noting that the HVAC producer price index (PPI) rose faster than both the consumer price index (CPI) and the PPI for major household appliance manufacturing.

The complaint also dismisses regulations as a driver of higher equipment costs. It states, “Neither does the new SEER2 energy conservation standards — defendants had, at a minimum, six years to develop compliant HVAC equipment. Finally, the HVAC equipment industry itself led domestic efforts to phase out HFCs, investing billions in the transition and beginning their advocacy over 20 years before the restrictions took effect in 2025.”

Raising prices simply because a competitor raised theirs is not illegal; what crosses the line is when competitors make an agreement beforehand to raise prices, effectively removing competition. Antitrust law differentiates between “conscious parallelism” (legal) and “agreement/conspiracy” (illegal). The former occurs when competitors in a concentrated market independently adopt similar business strategies by observing or reacting to the actions of their competitors. For a lawsuit to avoid being dismissed, courts require evidence of actions that go beyond parallel behavior.

The plaintiffs in this lawsuit allege that Trane, Carrier, Daikin, Bosch, Lennox, Rheem, and AAON did indeed agree beforehand to raise prices, and then “fraudulently concealed their conspiracy” through in-person meetings and coded language.

“Defendants used terms like ‘discipline’ and ‘price realization,’ and spoke of maintaining margins as a priority over competing for market share, to hide the conspiracy’s existence and accomplish the conspiracy’s goals, while also providing reassurance to co-conspirators of their continued commitment to the anticompetitive agreement,” the complaint stated.

Industry Groups

Manufacturers are not the only HVAC industry players mentioned in the lawsuit. The complaint also identifies two industry organizations as playing roles in “facilitating the conspiracy.”

The first is the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), a trade association representing HVAC manufacturers. AHRI provides industry statistics, including shipment reports and data subscription services, to its members. The filing claims that this “extensive sharing of information available only to AHRI members who also agreed to share their own data with their competitors” contributed to coordinated pricing behavior.

The second is The Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration NEWS, which publishes articles on pricing, price increases, and quarterly public earnings reports from HVAC manufacturers. The complaint alleges that Trane, Carrier, Daikin, Bosch, Lennox, Rheem, and AAON used this coverage in ACHR NEWS as a method to communicate their intentions amongst each other, as well as give their price increases legitimacy.

“Defendants used ACHR News to signal to one another to perpetuate the conspiracy and communicate their adherence to it,” the complaint said. “Defendants extensively and nearly exclusively relied on ACHR News to immediately publish and disseminate their price increase announcements throughout the Class Period.”

The complaint also notes that ACHR NEWS staff regularly attended AHRI and other industry conferences and provided coverage of those events.

The lawsuit also references Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), which publishes HVAC market data and industry insights. The complaint states, “while ostensibly set up to support HVAC distributors, it is clear that HARDI provided the defendant-manufacturers with further opportunities to collude. For example, at the 2025 HARDI Annual Conference, a “Supplier Town Hall” was held, “dedicated to Supplier Manufacturers!”

In filing this lawsuit, the plaintiff is seeking monetary damages, “as well as equitable relief, on behalf of all entities and persons who purchased HVAC equipment in the United States between January 1, 2020, through the present manufactured by a defendant for end use in a residential or commercial building.” The plaintiff argues that purchasers paid inflated prices as a result of a “price-fixing conspiracy” among manufacturers.

Manufacturers named in the lawsuit have not yet publicly responded to the specific claims outlined in the complaint.

ABC: Private Nonresidential Construction Slows for Fourth Straight Month in January Despite Jump in Data Center Spending

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:36:57 GMT

Total nonresidential construction spending was virtually unchanged in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.245 trillion.

Spending was down on a monthly basis in 9 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was down 0.4%, while public nonresidential construction spending was up 0.6% in January.

“Private nonresidential construction spending contracted for the fourth consecutive month in January and is now down 8% from the December 2023 all-time high,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While harsh winter weather likely bears some blame, the major issue is the ongoing decline in computer/electronic manufacturing construction. With CHIPS Act-incentivized megaprojects wrapping up, spending in that subcategory is down nearly 40% over the past 18 months.

“With the exception of data centers, which saw another 2% jump in spending during January, there are few sources of momentum to offset the precipitous decline in manufacturing construction activity,” said Basu. “This lackluster performance is especially concerning in light of the ongoing conflict in Iran, which will ignite materials price escalation and heighten already elevated levels of economic uncertainty. While ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator rebounded slightly in February, rising 0.1 months from January’s four-year low, it may be a difficult first half of 2026 for many contractors.”

Construction Input Prices Surge in February, Says ABC

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:33:40 GMT

Construction input prices increased 1.3% in February compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 1.3% for the month.

Overall construction input prices are 3.1% higher than one year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 3.7% higher. Prices increased in all three energy categories last month. Natural gas and unprocessed energy materials prices were up 10.9% and 6.0%, respectively, while crude petroleum prices were up 4.7% in February.

“Construction materials costs surged in February due to significant increases in oil, copper, lumber and steel prices,” said ABC chief economist Anirban Basu. “Notably, this data does not reflect the precipitous increase in oil prices, which are near $100/barrel as of this morning, caused by the conflict in Iran. That will put upward pressure on construction materials prices directly by raising diesel prices and, indirectly, by raising the cost of shipping other inputs.

“While input prices are still up a relatively modest 3.1% since February 2025, they rose at a staggering 12.6% annualized rate during the first two months of 2026,” said Basu. “Which is to say, materials price escalation could serve as a real headwind to construction activity over the next several months. Fewer than 1 in 4 contractors expect their profit margins to shrink over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index. Those expectations will bear close monitoring if input prices continue their rapid ascent.”

Women play a growing role in construction, but barriers remain

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:30:11 GMT

By Luiza Mills, Interstate Electrical Services Corporation

Earlier this month we celebrated Women in Construction Week. This is a perfect opportunity to highlight the growing role women play in our industry. As of 2024, 11.2 percent of the U.S. construction workforce was female. All told, there were about 1.34 million women working in our industry, up from 802,000 in 2012.

Just as encouraging is the fact that women in construction are closer to achieving wage parity than are women in the economy as a whole. Nationwide, women earn 83 cents for every dollar men earn, but in construction women earn 94 percent of what men do. We can’t rest on our laurels until the gender wage gap disappears, but these numbers represent progress.

The same is true for the overall number of women in our industry. Although participation among women is growing, with ABC estimating that the industry will need an additional 349,000 workers to meet demand this year, 11.2 percent is not enough. Our companies must attract qualified employees of every background regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or national origin.

Yet amid this generally encouraging news came a big step backward earlier this month, when Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced a union-only project labor agreement for the $1.2 billion replacement of a drawbridge connecting Boston and Cambridge. Excluding the 82.7 percent of the Massachusetts construction workforce from a project hurts those workers and the taxpayers forced to pay more for projects due to reduced competition, few are more hurt by PLAs than women and minorities.

As the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts wrote to state lawmakers in 2021, PLAs require contractors to hire solely from union halls, where “most Black construction workers and other workers of color do not belong.” Both Women Construction Owners and Executives and the National Black Chamber of Commerce have gone on record opposing PLAs.

We’re living through a time of great progress in the construction industry, but many challenges remain. Few are more pressing than the need to include all qualified workers in the construction workforce and doing that will require us to redouble our efforts on behalf of free and open competition.

ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Rebounds in February, Contractor Confidence Grows

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:23:11 GMT

Associated Builders and Contractors reports that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.1 months in February, according to an ABC member survey conducted Feb. 20 to March 6. The reading is up 0.1 months from January but down 0.2 months from February 2025.

View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data series.

Backlog increased sharply during February in the Middle States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Notably, the Middle States is the only region with higher backlog than one year ago.

ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales and staffing levels increased again in February, while the reading for profit margins fell. Sales expectations are better than they were one year ago, while profit margin and staffing expectations are slightly worse. The readings for all three components remain above the threshold of 50, indicating expectations for growth over the next six months.

“Backlog bounced back from January’s four-year low, yet it remains subdued by historical standards,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “It’s notable that backlog growth has been confined to the Middle States region. After struggling in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, the Midwest has posted surprisingly strong population and economic growth over the past year, and that growth has clearly translated into increased levels of construction activity.

“Contractors under contract to work on data centers (11.2 months) continue to have significantly longer backlog than those who are not (7.6 months),” said Basu. “While data center work should continue apace over the next few quarters, the conflict in Iran, which began during this middle of this month’s CBI survey period, may suppress demand for other forms of construction work due to elevated materials prices, borrowing costs and uncertainty.

“While contractors remain slightly optimistic that their profit margins will expand over the next six months, that confidence may not survive the recent and precipitous increase in oil prices,” said Basu. “Rising input costs, if persistent, could weigh on hiring expectations, which were particularly upbeat in February. The CCI series for staffing level expectations rose to the highest level since March 2025.”

ABC: Construction Hiring Remained Slow in January

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:16:03 GMT

The construction industry had 231,000 job openings on the last day of January, 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 14,000 in January and are down by 1,000 from the same time last year.

“While construction hiring accelerated in January, rising to the fastest rate since the first half of 2025, that’s unfortunately not saying much,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The industry’s hiring rate is still slower than at any point between the start of the data series in 2001 and the end of 2019. Contractors remain confident that their staffing levels will expand over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, although that confidence has remained intact for much of the past several years while hiring has remained subdued.”

ABC: Construction Materials Prices Surge in January, Driven Again by Tariffs

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:46:28 GMT

Construction input prices increased 0.7% in January 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 increased 0.6% for the month.

Overall construction input prices are 2.3% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 2.9% higher. Prices increased in 2 of 3 energy categories last month. Crude petroleum and unprocessed energy materials prices were up 1.8% and 0.4%, respectively, while natural gas prices were down 2.9% in January.

“Nonresidential construction input prices rebounded in January, surging at a blistering 7.1% annualized rate for the month,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While this sharp monthly rise can be traced to significant increases in prices for tariff-affected products like copper wire and cable, iron and steel, and industrial controls equipment, aggregate input price escalation is not particularly concerning right now. Nonresidential materials prices are up just 2.9% over the past year and have been virtually flat over the past several months, rising just 0.2% since September despite some large monthly fluctuations.

“Trade policy may continue to put upward pressure on certain input prices, especially those subject to the large Section 232 tariffs,” said Basu. “Even so, input escalation is unlikely to rise too sharply as long as energy prices remain tame and demand remains subdued. Contractor sentiment seems to reflect this; optimism regarding profit margins improved in January, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, although it remains lower than one year ago.”

ABC: Construction Loses 11,000 Jobs in February

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:42:33 GMT

The construction industry lost 11,000 jobs on net in February, 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 grown by 42,000 jobs, an increase of 0.5%.

Nonresidential construction employment decreased by 3,800 positions, with losses in 2 of the 3 subcategories. Heavy and civil engineering lost 6,500 jobs and nonresidential specialty trade lost 1,400 positions, while nonresidential building added 4,100 jobs in February.

The construction unemployment rate was 6.9% in February. Unemployment across all industries rose to 4.4% and is 0.2 percentage points higher than one year ago.

“Construction employment shrank again in February and has now declined in 8 of the past 11 months,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Both the residential and nonresidential segments lost jobs for the month, adding to a recent string of downbeat industry data releases; construction spending has been in decline for several quarters, and ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator fell to a four-year low in January. With the conflict in Iran adding to trade policy-related uncertainty and crude oil prices well above $80 per barrel, the industry’s outlook remains downbeat through the first few months of 2026.”

Nonresidential Construction Spending Plunges in December, Says ABC

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 20:33:34 GMT

National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.6% in December, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.24 trillion.

Spending was down on a monthly basis in 12 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was down 0.7%, while public nonresidential construction spending was down 0.4% in December.

“Nonresidential construction spending contracted sharply in December,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “This decline was concentrated in the manufacturing segment, which is now down nearly 16% from the August 2024 all-time high. Given trade policy uncertainty and the waning effects of the CHIPS Act, manufacturing-related spending will likely continue to decline over the next several quarters.

“While manufacturing is the most significant driver of nonresidential weakness, it’s far from the only one,” said Basu. “Eight of the 11 private nonresidential subsegments contracted in December, and total private nonresidential spending is now down 1.8% year over year. Given this weakness, it is unsurprising that ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator fell to a four-year low in January.”

Nearly 9 Out of 10 of US Construction Workers Are Not Union Members

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:15:56 GMT

According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 Union Members Summary/, 11.1% of U.S. construction industry workers belong to a union, an increase from 10.3% in 2024, versus 88.9% who do not.

The BLS reported that 995,000 construction industry workers were members of a union, while 8 million chose to pursue their careers in merit-based construction in 2025. The construction industry grew to 9 million workers in 2025.

“Merit shop construction employment reached an all-time high in 2025. This demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of construction workers prefer to work in an environment where they can pursue their individual professional goals by acquiring new skills through industry-driven multiskilling and advance their careers based on merit and their desires,” said ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman. “Furthermore, the supermajority of construction companies choose this employment relationship as they deem a merit-based culture the best way to attract talent and the most productive means to deliver long-lasting, high-quality projects at affordable prices.

“Preserving this choice is imperative as the industry builds out America’s infrastructure and military as well as communities across the country. One way President Donald Trump can give the contracting community immediate regulatory relief and preserve this freedom of choice is by eliminating former President Joe Biden’s harmful, union-only project labor agreement policies,” said Bellaman. “Eliminating PLA mandates would save taxpayers an estimated $10 billion per year on federal and federally assisted construction projects simply by creating a fair and open competitive landscape where 100% of the industry can participate.

“The industry is facing a workforce shortage of 349,000 in 2026, in addition to other major headwinds,” said Bellaman. “These include an aging and retiring workforce, immigration enforcement, high materials prices, tariffs, office vacancies and rapidly evolving technologies and innovation. Now is the time for the Trump administration to level the playing field in a way that creates more value for taxpayers through healthy competition for construction projects based on merit.”

Membership is at the core of all that we do

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:09:22 GMT

By Luiza Mills, Interstate Electrical Services Corporation

ABC Massachusetts 2026 chair

One phrase that many of you have heard from your fellow members and ABC MA staff is “More members, more clout.” Every voice matters, and that’s especially true in a state like Massachusetts. The open shop accounts for 82.7 percent of the construction workforce, yet our voice is not proportionately reflected when it comes to issues affecting our industry.

At ABC, we advocate for the open shop. For our members to have a voice, we need to grow membership. With this, I’m particularly pleased to announce ~~that~~ fellow ABC MA Board Member Jim Abbott of Claro Advisors is the winner of the 2025 National ABC Beamer of the Year award, which goes to the member who referred the most new members to ABC. Jim will be honored with an award during the board meeting at the National Convention in Salt Lake City next month.

Membership is in Jim’s blood. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire, he got his start as our Chapter’s membership director. At Claro Advisors, many of his clients are ABC MA members. He continues to serve on the Membership Committee and works closely with current Membership Director Venus Williams.

At a time when open-shop contractors in Massachusetts face a growing number of union-only project labor agreements and we continue to face restrictive construction ratios that limit our companies’ ability to expand, growing membership, and the growing voice that comes with it, have never been more important.

Let’s continue to support our foundation for future generations. We ask each of you to refer any prospective members to Venus Williams at Venus@abcma.org. Our current members are the best reference for future ones. Let’s surpass our goal with one prospect from each of you this year getting us to attain our goal of 500 members.

Join me in congratulating and thanking Jim for his dedication and commitment to growing our Chapter, and congratulations on winning this important and richly deserved award.

ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds Solid 27,900 Jobs in January

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:09:34 GMT

The construction industry added 33,000 jobs on net in January, 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 grown by 44,000 jobs, an increase of 0.5%.

Nonresidential construction employment expanded by 27,900 positions, with gains in 2 of the 3 subcategories. Nonresidential specialty trade added 25,100 jobs, while nonresidential building added 3,600 new positions. Heavy and civil engineering lost 800 jobs in January.

The construction unemployment rate was 6.9% in January. Unemployment across all industries decreased to 4.3% and is 0.3 percentage points higher than one year ago.

“The construction industry, much like the broader labor market, rebounded in January,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While that’s a welcome development, the industry lost 1,000 jobs in 2025, the first calendar year decline since 2020 and 2010 before that. Much of the industry’s weakness is concentrated in the residential segment, where employment has declined by 43,600 jobs over the past year.

“Despite the lack of job growth in 2025, the industry’s unemployment rate is only modestly higher than one-year ago,” said Basu. “That dynamic at least partially stems from immigration enforcement and the downward pressure it has put on the industry’s labor supply. Neither last year’s weak employment growth nor current labor force dynamics have weighed on contractor confidence, with ABC members still upbeat about both their sales and staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.”

ABC: Tariffs Drive Construction Materials Prices Up 2.8% in 2025

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:43:03 GMT

Construction input prices decreased 0.6% in December compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices decreased 0.7% for the month.

Overall construction input prices are 2.8% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are 3.2% higher. Prices increased in 2 of 3 energy categories last month. Natural gas and unprocessed energy materials prices were up 34.8% and 5.5%, respectively, while crude petroleum prices were down 2.7% in December.

“Construction materials prices posted a welcome decline in December, yet key inputs are still experiencing rapid escalation,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “This is especially true for materials most exposed to tariffs. Copper wire and cable prices, for instance, jumped an incredible 4.6% in December and are up more than 22% year over year, and prices for primary nonferrous metals are up nearly 62% over the past 12 months.

“Prices for commodities less exposed to tariffs, like asphalt or crushed stone, will likely remain tame in the coming months due to soft demand for construction services,” said Basu. “While that may limit increases in overall materials prices, trade policy will continue to put upward pressure on certain materials. This has not significantly dimmed contractor optimism; 7 in 10 ABC members expect their profit margins to remain stable or grow over the next two quarters, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.”