Construction Groups Call for Transportation Bill to Counter Growing Job Losses

 

Employers cut 51,000 jobs from the nonresidential building, specialty trade, heavy and civil engineering sectors last month.
Courtesy of eHow

As job losses in the construction sector continue to mount, interest groups representing construction suppliers are trying to drum up support for congressional approval of a robust long-term transportation authorization measure to pump new money into the economy. Anything to help the job market would stimulate growth and help the landscape industry.

Construction continued to hemorrhage jobs in September, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Compared to September 2008, the industry has lost 15 percent of its positions compared to a 4 percent job reduction for the overall nonfarm economy.

While the overall unemployment rate went up to 9.8 percent (seasonally adjusted) in September, the unemployment rate for the construction industry was 17.1 percent (not seasonally adjusted). That's up from the industry's 9.9 percent unemployment rate a year earlier. Construction remains the industry with the highest unemployment rate, according to AGC. Until this sector rebounds, it will take some time for the landscape industry to recover.

Construction spending for August totaled $942 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate. That's down 12 percent from the August 2008 spending level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Highway and street construction, however, is up 3.1 percent over the past year thanks to the $27 billion in highway and bridge spending appropriated in this year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

– Courtesy of AASHTO