Even as the number of people working in construction increased by 5,000 between September and October 2010, the industry's unemployment rate rose to 17.3 percent, according to AGC's analysis of federal employment figures released Friday.

Temporary government investments boosted commercial construction employment, offsetting further job losses in residential construction, AGC noted, but the industry's unemployment rate is still nearly double the unadjusted national rate of nine percent.

Read the press release here.

The news was covered by Grand Rapids Press, Alaska Business Monthly and St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The voting is over, but the counting continues.  Republicans have secured a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and there is a smaller majority of Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

This year's wave election may have also washed out the old saying that "all politics is local." The local voters were driven by national issues like health care and spending, and were fueled by national media that focused on party conflict.

Read more here.

AGC's Chief Executive Officer Steve Sandherr will discuss the results and impact of the midterm election during a free, members-only post-election conference call on November 9.

The call will include a look at the threats and opportunities for the construction industry in the upcoming lame duck session and in the next Congress.

Free Members-Only Post-Election Conference Call
November 9
12:30-1:30 PM Eastern

To obtain call-in information, please RSVP to youngj@agc.org.

Construction employment declined in 236 out of 337 metropolitan areas between September 2009 and September 2010 according to a new analysis of federal employment data released Thursday by AGC.

Meanwhile, the number of metro areas adding jobs - 56 - remained unchanged from the previous month's data, indicating the sector remains weak more than a year after the official end of the recession.

Read the press release here. The news was covered by the Orange County Register, Ocala Star Banner, Rochester Business Journal, Jacksonville Business Journal and South Florida Business Journal, among others.

Construction employment declined in 31 states between August and September, while fewer people are working in construction compared to last year in 40 states, AGC reported in an analysis of state employment data released Friday by the Labor Department.

Construction employment is likely to continue to worsen amid uncertainty about federal spending and tax rates for next year, AGC noted.

Read the press release here. The news was covered by the Tacoma News Tribune, Providence Journal, Denver Daily News and Memphis Business Journal, among others.

AGC announced California State Chico, Iowa State and Kansas State Universities are home to the recipients of this year's Outstanding Student Chapter Awards.

These three college organizations have worked to build a better quality of life in their communities. Read more about their efforts here.

For more information, contact Carrie Harper at (703) 837-5316 or harperc@agc.org.

The number of people working in construction is approaching a 14-year low now that the industry lost 21,000 jobs in September, while construction unemployment is at a September high of 17.2 percent, according to an analysis of federal employment figures released today by AGC.

The construction industry continues to suffer from declining investments in construction and broad uncertainty about the future of many federal infrastructure programs and tax rates, association officials noted.

Read the press release here. The news was covered by the Central Valley Business Times, Engineering News-Record and KGO-TV in Santa Clara, Calif., among others.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.

Total construction spending edged up 0.4 percent between July and August to $812 billion, driven by increases in public construction activity including stimulus and base realignment projects, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data released today by AGC.

Association officials cautioned, however, that private residential and nonresidential spending both continued to shrink as private-sector demand for construction remains extremely weak.

Read press release here. The news was covered by the Denver Post and the Oakland Press, among others.

Construction employment expanded in 56 out of 337 metropolitan areas between August 2009 and August 2010, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released Monday by AGC.

More cities added construction jobs during the past year than at any point since September 2008, indicating that the worst of the industry's job losses may be over, AGC said.

Read the press release here. The news was covered by the Wall Street Journal, San Diego Union Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and the Chicago Tribune.

Construction jobs were added in half the states in August, while the number of states with year-over-year job gains rose to 10 from just six in July, AGC reported in an analysis of state employment data released Tuesday by the Labor Department. The number of states that increased construction employment over 12 months was the largest since October 2008.

Read AGC's press release here. The news was covered by the Chicago Sun-Times, Dayton Business Journal, Atlanta Business Chronicle and South Florida Business Journal, among others.

For more information, contact Ken Simonson at simonsonk@agc.org.