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Architecture Billing Index, US : May 2015
After experiencing relatively soft business conditions for much of the past winter and spring, many architecture firms saw signs of improvement in May. The AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) increased by more than three points to a score of 51.9 in May, where any score over 50 indicates billings growth. As a positive sign of…
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US Construction Employment
A survey of single-family builders conducted by the National Association of Home Builders in June 2015 shows that shortages of labour and subcontractors—already quite widespread in mid-2014—have become even more widespread during the past year. The shortages are most acute for basic skills like carpentry, which are needed during the construction of any home. For…
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Construction Spending US: May 2015
The Census Bureau reported Wednesday that overall construction spending in the US increased in May: The US Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced that construction spending during May 2015 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of US$1,035 billion, 0.8 per cent above the revised April estimate of US$1,027 billion. The May…
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Homeownership vs Rental Rates, US
Amercia’s homeownership rate has been falling for eight years, down to 63.7 per cent in 1Q this year from a peak of over 69 per cent in 2004, according to a new report released by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, said the New York Times Wednesday. The flip side of the decline in…
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US Construction Job Openings: April 2015
The number of open, unfilled construction sector positions has been elevated during 2015. According to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and NAHB analysis, construction sector jobs declined from 168,000 to 153,000 in April from March. However, the 168,000 estimate for March was upwardly revised from a preliminary reading of 147,000. Construction Jobs,…
