Construction spending in July maintained consistent year-over-year growth despite a pullback from the June peak, according to an analysis of new federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.  Association officials said they expect the disparity between private and public construction to persist unless Washington acts to fix infrastructure funding challenges and pass long-delayed measures.

Construction employment declined in 165 out of 337 metropolitan areas between July 2011 and July 2012, increased in 123 and was stagnant in 49, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that the new data comes out as many metro areas continue to struggle with constricting public sector budgets and uneven private sector growth.

AGC Charities is currently working with local Georgetown architect, Alex Zara of Zaras & Neudorfer Architects to draw up plans and complete permitting for renovations at the American Legion Post located in Capitol Hill. The construction work is expected to begin in September and lead contractor, Clark Construction Group is working with local subcontractors to get materials and labor donated to complete the charity project.

Construction employment declined in 31 states from July 2011 to July 2012 and in 28 states in the past month, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials noted that construction employment decreased in the majority of states as public construction funding continues to shrink, offsetting gains in homebuilding and nonresidential construction.

Operation Opening Doors, a nonprofit arm of the Associated General Contractors South Dakota Building Chapter has identified an Aberdeen man, Staff Sergeant Sean Johnson as the recipient of their eighth renovation project in South Dakota. Staff Sgt. Johnson, an ammunitions inspector with the Aberdeen-based 452nd Ordnance Company of the Army Reserve, served his country for 23 years including three deployments: Operation Desert Storm, Operation Joint Guard, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.  He most recently was bestowed the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Iraq when a mortar exploded near him.

The cost of key construction materials dropped for the third consecutive month in July, pushing down year-over-year prices for the first time since 2009, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Construction professionals will be able to take a wide range of mandatory and optional safety training programs online thanks to a new collaboration between the Associated General Contractors of America and ClickSafety, which is authorized by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to provide its online Outreach Training Program. Association officials added that the collaboration will provide a range of online construction-related safety courses, including the mandatory OSHA 10- and 30-hour safety training programs for employees of its member firms.

Construction employment declined by 1,000 in July even though the industry’s unemployment rate fell to the lowest level since 2008, according to an analysis of new federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The sector’s unemployment rate has steadily declined since 2009 as hundreds of thousands of out-of-work construction workers have left the industry seeking other opportunities, the association’s economist cautioned.

Construction spending in June rose to a 2-1/2 year high as double-digit percentage increases in private residential and nonresidential construction more than offset an ongoing downturn in public construction, according to an analysis of new federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said they expect the disparity between private and public construction is likely to persist and urged policy makers to put more funding into infrastructure projects.

A review of government enforcement data finds no justification for costly and complex new rules governing the hiring of veterans and people with disabilities being proposed by the Office of Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The analysis found that significantly less than one percent of federal contractors covered by the rule may have discriminated against a veteran or person with a disability at any point in the past eight years.