ConstructConnect Blog

The construction industry is in the midst of a growing labor shortage. Just this month I’ve run across a half dozen local news reports of construction worker shortages across the country. Construction firms in Phoenix, AZ; Bradenton and Sarasota, FL; Long Island, NY and the Lowcountry of South Carolina, which includes Charleston, are having difficulties finding enough skilled workers to meet demand. These aren’t isolated events. Every month you’re bound to find new reports of areas feeling the pinch.

The use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on public projects, which date back to 1933 with the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, continues to be a hot-button issue in the construction industry. PLAs are collective bargaining agreements used to establish conditions and terms of employment for a specific construction project through one or more labor organizations or unions and project owners. PLAs are negotiated prior to any bidding or hiring labor on a project.

The construction industry has high employment projections and is expected to see substantial growth over the next few years. Construction and extraction occupations are expected to grow 11% between 2016 and 2026, faster than the 7% average forecast for all occupations. For construction and extraction, 758,400 new jobs are projected by 2026 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

As we head into the final month of 2017, we’re going to take a look at how the construction industry has fared this year and what we can expect for 2018. These forecasts were presented in the 2018 Construction and Design Outlook: Cheery or Dreary? webcast presented by ConstructConnect, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

As we rapidly approach the end of the year, it’s time to release ConstructConnect’s list of the “Top 5 Coolest Buildings of 2016.” In order to be eligible, the building has to have been completed, topped out or opened within the calendar year and has some aspect that makes the building cool. The competition was stiff with lots of great projects to choose from, so narrowing it down to just five wasn’t easy. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are our “Top 5.”

As we get ready to bid farewell to 2017, it’s time to release ConstructConnect’s list of “Top 5 Coolest Buildings” of the year. Criteria for inclusion on the list is simple. The building has to have been completed, topped out or opened within the calendar year and has to have some aspect that makes the building cool. This could be the architecture, sustainability elements, construction method, technology, or some combination of these elements.

There’s a rare opportunity to work on a construction project located at the bottom of the world in a location few have ever visited. McMurdo Station, the largest of three U.S. Antarctic research stations, is about to undergo a massive construction and consolidation project over the next several years.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released their 2015 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and the construction industry once again topped the list with 937 worker deaths. This is about a 4% increase in occupational fatalities over the 899 reported for 2014. This is the largest number of construction worker deaths since 2008.