The road to recovery – at work
Safety+Health Magazine • September 28, 2025 How employers can support employees who are dealing with substance use disorders The number of people who worked full time while in recovery from a substance use disorder jumped 44% in 2020 – to 468,000 from 326,000 the year before. Add to that 274,000 workers who are part-time. Those […]
ABC Targets Construction Workforce Gap Through Education, Apprenticeships, and Innovation
ConstructConnect • September 24, 2025 KEY POINTS A lack of job-ready construction labor slows projects and raises costs nationwide. Associated Builders and Contractors is meeting the moment with proven curricula, apprenticeships, and innovative training models. Local chapters, employer partners, and national policy shifts are vital to building tomorrow’s workforce. The Urgency of Skills Walk onto almost […]
Construction wages rising, but labor gap persists
The Sheboygan Sun • September 25, 2025 Despite cooling demand in United States construction, with spending down in interest-rate-sensitive sectors like housing and commercial development and nearly 80% of contractors reporting hiring challenges, the industry’s labor gap remains significant: the Associated Builders and Contractors estimates a shortfall of 439,000 workers in 2025. Amid these labor […]
Construction Input Prices Edge Up as Energy Costs Decline
U.S. construction input prices rose 0.2% in August, with nonresidential costs also up 0.2%. Energy prices dropped, but iron, steel and copper saw sharp increases. Sep 29, 2025 Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. (ABC) Construction input prices rose 0.2% in August compared to July, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor […]
Associated Builders and Contractors Applauds Reintroduction of the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act
Originally posted on Window+Door.com | September 25,2025 Associated Builders and Contractors applauds Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., for the reintroduction of the bipartisan H.R. 5494, the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act. In addition to Rep. Smucker, the bill is cosponsored by Reps. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Don Davis, D-N.C., Andy Harris, R-Md., Mike Kelly, […]
New bill seeks 65,000 visas for migrant workers in US
By Global Construction Reviews | Originally posted on globalconstructionreviews.com The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has joined a number of US national construction bodies throwing their weight behind a bipartisan bill that would give visas to migrant workers in sectors, like construction, that are facing acute skills shortages. The “Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act”, […]
How long will steel prices stay high?
By The Money Editors | Originally posted on themoney.co In March 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, steel prices traded between $500 and $800. The price of steel as of July 2021 is up over 200%, trading at $1,800, and many involved in the market don’t see the price reducing until at least 2022. Similarly, Are […]
The Labor Cost Revolution in Federal Contracting: How Trump’s Anti-Union Policies Reshape Defense and Infrastructure Sectors
By Theodore Quinn | Originally posted on ainvest.com The Trump administration’s 2025 executive order terminating collective bargaining rights for over a million federal workers has ignited a seismic shift in labor dynamics across defense and infrastructure sectors. By invoking the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the administration stripped agencies like the Department of Defense (DoD), […]
OPINION: Labor union planning in a time of evolving global changes
By Rob Majdecki | Originally posted on labortribune.com Even before President Trump took office in January, the President made controversial statements at a press conference. He claimed that the U.S. should buy Greenland, threatened to take over the Panama Canal and promised to add new import tariffs. He also called for the strengthening of our borders, […]
Tariffs, Talent and Tech: The New Rules of Roofing Consolidation
By Bryan Gottlieb | Originally posted on roofingcontractor.com As 50% steel and copper duties squeeze margins, PE-led roofers lean on digital tools and workforce programs to protect high-multiple valuations. By mid‑year, private equity firms had acquired at least one U.S. roofing platform every 48 hours, underscoring a frenzied deal pace that shows no signs of slowing, according […]