News

The construction industry’s atmosphere of optimism about increasing numbers of jobs was borne out by employment gains in December of last year, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

The Architectural Billings Index ended 2014 with healthy momentum, with ten months of the year showing an increase in architectural billings.

The overwhelming majority of construction firms anticipate adding new employees in 2015, according to a survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

While the numbers for last November declined slightly, the Architectural Billings Index marked its seventh consecutive positive month — a good sign for the construction outlook in 2015.

Construction employers added 48,000 jobs for the year — making a total of 290,000 for the year — bringing unemployment in the sector down to 8.3%, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

While the heads of U.S. engineering remain positive about business prospects, “their confidence is fraying at the edges,” according to a press release from the American Council of Engineering Companies announcing the council’s Engineering Business Index (EBI).

Construction spending declined in November, but 2014 is still on track to beat 2013’s expenditures, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Contractors interviewed by the Association of General Contractors for its new report Ready To Hire Again: The 2015 Construction Hiring And Business Outlook don’t just say they’re confident in the coming year: They’re putting their money behind it, with 80 percent planning to expand their payrolls.

Although its pace slowed slightly, November’s Architectural Billings Index increased for the seventh consecutive month.