HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY (July 8, 2020)—The Dodge Momentum Index dropped 6.6% in June to 121.5 from the revised May reading of 130.1.
WASHINGTON—Associated Builders and Contractors announced the cancellation of ABC Convention 2020, which was scheduled for August 17-19 in Nashville, Tennessee. The event, which includes the National Craft Championships, Construction Management Competition and National Excellence in Construction Awards, was previously postponed from March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
New home construction in the United States showed a positive return in May—good news after several months of decreasing numbers due in part to the coronavirus pandemic.
In particular, a rebound in permits for future home construction (up 14.4%) showed promise that the industry might be coming out of a slump. The statistic is often an indicator of future activity and the overall health of the economy.
New York City—The Marcum Commercial Construction Index for the first quarter of 2020 reports an industry suffering the adverse effects of COVID-19. Construction employment fell by nearly one million jobs from March to April 2020, a decrease of 12.8%. The industry’s unemployment rate increased from 6.9% in March to 16.6% in April, the highest level since early
New York City launched phase one of its reopening plan this week, including the restart of all construction projects deemed nonessential. City officials estimate this applies to approximately 23,000 construction sites.
The news is long awaited for many construction executives and management teams—since March, the only construction projects allowed to continue on schedule were those deemed essential (health care, infrastructure updates, etc.).
Last week, President Trump signed into law a new bill that effectively relaxes Paycheck Protection Program loan requirements for many small businesses—the Paycheck Protection Forgiveness Act.
The law allows businesses a bit more leeway concerning where the money coming from the loans, part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, are spent, as well as a few other key points. Here's what you need to know:
WASHINGTON—As the nation faces the coronavirus pandemic, the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is dedicated to keeping the American workforce safe and healthy. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt testified before the House Education and Labor Committee’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee about the agency’s role during the crisis.
WASHINGTON—The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an alert listing steps employers can follow to implement social distancing in the workplace and to help protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus.
Safety measures employers can implement include:
This week, one of these two metropolitan areas announced plans to reopen construction and one returned to work after weeks of being shut down. Some construction firms will go back to work with specific protocols in place. Here's what you need to know:
This week, the governors of Pennsylvania and Washington both announced plans for construction to resume on some projects with certain limitations in place.
Find out what you need to know below.
Pennsylvania
Governor Tom Wolf announced recently that construction would resume on May 1. Pennsylvania was one of the few states across the country that shut down all construction barring those projects considered essential.
WASHINGTON (April 22, 2020)—Reflecting the deteriorating conditions in the overall economy, demand for design services from architecture firms recorded a record fall, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Last week, President Donald Trump released a three-step plan to reopen the economy—one that uses a "phased and deliberate approach" to restart work and open companies in areas that have strong, capable COVID-19 testing processes in place and have seen a decrease in the number of new cases.
NATIONAL—The United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued temporary guidance for contractors on whether a COVID-19 case on the jobsite should be recorded as an illness under OSHA forms, such as OSHA Form 300: Log of Work-Related Injuries.
NATIONAL (April 10, 2020)—With the covid-19 pandemic worsening by the week, an ever-increasing share of contractors are reporting cancellations of upcoming projects and shortages of equipment or materials, forcing nearly 40% of firms to lay off employees, according to an online survey released by the Associated General Contractors of America.
IRMO, S.C. (April 6, 2020)—Diesel Laptops will host a virtual trade show on April 29th and 30th. In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, a lot of industries have come to a halt while the trucking industry continues to move forward which is why the theme for this year’s show is “Keep it Moving!”
NATIONAL—The United States Department of Labor reported 6.6 million more workers filed for unemployment last week. Over the past few weeks, those jobless claims have continuously increased, reaching 16.8 million this week. Economists expect that number will be 25 million or more by the end of April.
WASHINGTON (April 7, 2020)—As communities across the country race to expand available hospital bed space in response to COVID-19, an American Institute of Architects (AIA) task force is providing a new tool for public officials to quickly identify buildings suitable to be adapted for patient care.