(A report from bloomberg.com found here. ) Home sales and construction in the U.S. probably rose in June from depressed levels as the industry struggled to gain traction in the face of foreclosures, falling prices and rising unemployment, economists said, according to a report by bloomberg.com. Purchases of previously owned homes climbed ...

(A release from the Rockefeller Institute of Government at the University of Albany.) Across the United States, states saw robust revenue gains during the first half of 2011, but weak property taxes drove down local tax collections, providing evidence of a weakening national economy and raising uncertainty for the future, according ...

(A news release from Associated Builders and Contractors Inc.) During a national online news conference last week, the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. said the nation's construction industry recovery might be two years away. “From what we’ve seen so far in 2011, nonresidential construction will likely be further delayed,” said ABC chief ...

Real Estate Weekly — a weekly publication serving commercial, industrial and residential development market in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut —  is reporting that the Building Trades Employers Association, which represents construction contractors in New York City, will not renew a 108-year-old agreement that directs its members to hire ...

(A news release from Associated Builders and Contractors.) The U.S. construction industry added 2,000 jobs in May, according to the June 3 employment report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Year over year, seasonally adjusted construction employment was unchanged. Non-seasonally adjusted construction unemployment stood at 16.3 percent for the month, down ...

Imagine having government bids and RFPs from your area routinely delivered to you via e-mail. That business-building news is being offered by BidScout, a subscription-based, online service that provides public sector bids and RFPs being let in a subscriber's Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). BidScout reports are e-mailed in pdf format each morning, ...

Delivering good news for the construction industry, the New York Federal Reserve reports that consumer borrowing is increasing as banks become more willing to extend credit. Loan activity is significant because it enables consumers to purchase large ticket items, including homes and improvement projects that help fuel the construction business. The Federal ...

(From a news release by the Associated Builders & Contractors) In a month when the private sector added the most jobs in five years, the construction industry experienced modest gains, adding 5,000 jobs in April, according to the May 6 employment report by the U.S. Labor Department. Still, the construction industry ...

(News from the the Associated General Contractors of America.) Construction spending bounced back from an 11-year low in March, increasing by 1.4 percent to a total seasonally adjusted annual rate of $769 billion, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new Census Bureau data released today. ...

Illinois contractors received a boost last week when Gov. Pat Quinn unveiled the state’s new $11.5 billion multi-year construction program, which is intended to create 155,000 jobs and spark economic development throughout the state. Driven by the Illinois Jobs Now! capital program, the statewide multi-year plan for fiscal years 2012 through 2017 ...

(From the Associated General Contractors of America.) Non-farm payroll employment increased in 284 out of 372 metro areas (76%) between February 2010 and February 2011, decreased in 77 (21%) and remained flat in 11, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported last week. The AGC’s analysis of construction employment in 337 metro areas for which BLS provides ...

With a new multi-year highway/transit authorization bill languishing in Congress, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has rolled out a new interactive website chock full of information about the job creation impacts of federal transportation investment on the national and state economies. The data, found at www.transportationcreatesjobs.org, show the number ...