Eighty percent of construction firms report they are having a hard time filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.

The fundamentals of the commercial construction industry are strong and industry leaders are largely optimistic about the future of the sector, according to the latest USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index (CCI). 

Toledo and Monroe metro areas tied for the fifth-fastest growing construction job markets in the country, according to data released by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Construction employment grew in 249 out of 358 metro areas between May 2018 and May 2019, declined in 57 and was unchanged in 52, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. 

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, released the following statement in response to the release of the President's new proposal to allow more immigrations into the country based on merit.

Construction employment increased by 33,000 jobs in April and by 256,000 or 3.5 percent, over the past 12 months, while the number of unemployed jobseekers with construction fell to a record low for April.

Workers are so scarce that, in many parts of the country, low-skill jobs are being handed out to pretty much anyone willing to take them and high-skilled workers are in even shorter supply. 

Tameeka Gwyn is used to schlepping concrete weighing as much as 60 pounds (27 kilograms) around a construction site. For Janna Rojas, it's a cinch to carry metal pipes as heavy as 100 pounds (45 kilograms) going into new plumbing.

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, urged Congress to act quickly on the Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act that was introduced by Pennsylvania Congressmen Lloyd Smucker. 

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, urged Congress to act quickly on the Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act that was introduced today by Pennsylvania Congressmen Lloyd Smucker.