Article from MarketWatch

Residential construction was 3.6% higher in December than a year ago.

Construction spending fell 0.2% in December, a slight decline after a solid year of growth, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast a 0.2% increase during the month.

Outlays on construction for all of 2016 totalled $1.16 trillion, 4.5% higher than in 2015.

Private construction spending was 0.2% higher in December, while public outlays fell 1.7%.

Residential spending for construction rose 0.5% for the month, and stood 5.2% higher for all of 2016 compared to last year.

The homebuilder ETF from SPDR XHB, +0.00% ticked up slightly after the data release.

Analysts expect stronger construction spending ahead.

Architectural billings, which are a leading indicator, have surged, noted Ian Shepherdson, chief economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics. Ed Zarenski, a construction economist and long-time project cost estimator, expects a solid 2017.

Article written by Kim Slowey on Construction Dive

It's been less than two weeks since President Donald Trump's inauguration, but he has fulfilled his campaign promises of shaking up the political world. The ink is not yet dry on several of his executive orders and other memoranda that have turned immigration, national security and infrastructure into coast-to-coast topics of conversation and fiery debate.

The construction industry-related directives that have elicited the strongest reaction from the general public are those giving a push to U.S.-Mexico border wall construction as well as two controversial pipeline projects — the Dakota Access and the Keystone XL.

From Construction Dive

It’s the start of a new year, which means now is the perfect time for contractors and construction professionals to step back, reassess their daily work lives and make necessary adjustments. From management style to charity work, it’s all about making 2017 a successful year. Here are five New Year's resolutions for construction pros this year.

Advocate for career training

The construction industry has been wrestling with the impact of skilled labor shortages ever since workers were forced to seek other jobs during the recession. Looking ahead, the aging-out of many workers is on the way, and there aren't enough young people coming into the industry to fill the ranks.

That's where career technical training has so much to offer. These programs provide a career option for adults or for high school students who are not college bound. However, it can be difficult for some institutions to lure people in, and industry pros can make a big difference.

Article from cnbc.com

U.S. construction spending rose more than expected in November, reaching its highest level in 10-1/2 years, which could provide a lift to fourth-quarter economic growth.

The Commerce Department said on Tuesday that construction spending increased 0.9 percent to $1.18 trillion, the highest level since April 2006. It was boosted by gains in both private and public sector investment.

Construction spending in October was revised up to show a 0.6 percent rise instead of the previously reported 0.5 percent increase. Construction spending was up 4.1 percent from a year ago in November.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast construction spending rising 0.6 percent in November. November's better-than-expected increase and October's upward revision to construction spending could prompt economists to raise their gross domestic product estimates for the fourth quarter.

From Construction Dive

Over the last seven weeks, Construction Dive has spoken with 10 young professionals from their early 20s to their early 40s about their goals for a career in construction. These individuals represent many — but certainly not all — of the different roles, backgrounds and experiences at work in the field today.

Some have taken up the mantle of implementing new technology and green building practices, while others are helping to reframe the idea of a career in construction for the next generation. They all acknowledged that they still have much to learn, but they were also open and introspective about how they intended to do so and what challenges they anticipate ahead.

Below, we’ve gathered some of the common themes and insights from those interviews. Here’s what the future generation of construction leaders wants you to know.

Article written by Moira Alexander and appears on CIO.com

With all the project management and collaboration tools available today, it's important for companies to carefully evaluate which ones will best meet their needs today and in the future.

The right tool for the right job goes the old adage, but knowing exactly what criteria you should consider and how to go about evaluating each of the project management (PM) tools at your disposal can be time-consuming and even frustrating. So we've taken some of the legwork out of it by offering some key considerations, broken down into three primary categories that should be included in your evaluation.

We'll start with the business model, strategy and needs.

Article from reuters.com

WASHINGTON, U.S. construction spending fell in August for the second straight month to its lowest level in eight months, an unexpected drop driven by weakness across public and private sectors. The successive declines suggest home building might not help economic growth in the third quarter.

The Commerce Department said on Monday construction spending dropped 0.7 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.142 trillion, the lowest since December 2015.

Economists had expected outlays to rise 0.2 percent.

The government also revised downward its estimate for July, saying spending declined 0.3 percent rather than the initial estimate that outlays were unchanged.

In August, private construction spending fell 0.3 percent, with outlays on residential construction down by the same amount.

Spending on private nonresidential structures fell 0.4 percent in August.

Public construction spending dropped 2.0 percent in August to the lowest level since March 2014, with lower spending reported for highways and schools.

Timelapse photos of construction in Rio de Janeiro show the vast development the city has undergone in preparation for the 2016 Olympics. The photos were taken over the course of years by satellite imaging company DigitalGlobal.

Construction of venues is always a big topic leading up to the Olympic Games, and the conversation usually revolves around whether the venues will be ready in time.

Construction safety also became a part of the 2016 Olympics conversation, after a report released earlier this year by Rio de Janeiro's Regional Labor and Employment Office confirmed that eleven workers had died while working on Olympic venues or related projects. The report noted that the number of deaths reported prior to the 2012 Olympics in London was zero. When Brazil hosted the World Cup in 2014, at least 8 workers died in construction accidents.

ESPN reported that the causes of death vary from electric shock to falling scaffolding. There also were cases of workers being buried and vehicles overturning.

Original article by Michael Voelker on Property Casualty 360

Call it “the Big Build-Up”: construction-focused carriers are cheering the multi-year run of positive news in the building sector. Growth in nonresidential construction is projected at more than 7.4% in 2016, according to the industry trade group Associated Builders and Contractors.

Four key areas of growth stand out: large commercial residential buildings, infrastructure projects, renewable energy, and transformation of manufacturing or other commercial facilities into new uses. Although commercial residential has slowed a bit from its blistering double-digit growth pace in recent years, Dodge Data & Analytics, which provides news and intelligence for the North American construction industry, still predicts a 7% increase in 2016.

Article written by Tom Ichniowski on ENR.com

With the $305-billion Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act on the books for nearly three months, the focus now has shifted to moving the five-year measure’s 2016 funding out to the states and turned into construction contracts. As the FAST Act implementation phase heats up, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation is moving to set up the statute’s new programs, and state agencies are gearing up for bid lettings for this year’s fast-approaching construction season.

DOT Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez told the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ annual Washington briefing on Feb. 24, “In order to make this a reality, we know we have to get busy to implement the FAST Act.” He added, “At the federal level, we are working very hard to make sure that these funds get to all of you as quickly as possible.”