The February 2018 not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate was 7.8 percent, down 1 percent from February 2017 and the lowest national February rate on record, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by ABC. Estimated construction unemployment rates were down in 34 states on a year-over-year basis, unchanged in one state (Arizona) and up in 15 states.

Nonresidential construction spending inched 0.1 percent higher in February, according to an ABC analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Nonresidential spending, which totaled $732.8 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, has expanded 1.3 percent since February 2017.

On March 20, Administrator Linda McMahon of the U.S. Small Business Administration announced the 2018 recipients of the National Small Business Week awards, including ABC member Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

ABC announced ACI Mechanical as its Contractor of the Year, National Diversity Excellence Award winners, National Safety Award winners and America’s top construction projects at the annual Excellence in Construction® Awards on March 21 at ABC Convention 2018.

On March 28, Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) signed legislation into law that will combat the current construction industry labor shortage in Wisconsin. The new law prevents more than one journeyman being required to oversee the work of an apprentice. 

ABC announced the winners of the Construction Management Competition (CMC), National Craft Championships (NCC), Craft Professional of the Year and Craft Instructor of the Year during its Careers in Construction Awards ceremony at the conclusion of ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif., March 22.

Preconstruction manager and construction superintendent are among the top ten best jobs of 2018, according to employment search engine Indeed. Based on salary—jobs with a baseline salary of at least $75,000—and abundance of opportunity based on growth in job postings on Indeed.com, careers in construction are on the rise.

On March 2, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it will begin enforcement of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in general, shipyard and construction industries on May 11, 2018. According to an OSHA news release, the enforcement date was previously set for March 12, 2018, but this new timeframe aims to ensure stakeholders are aware of their obligations and compliance to the final rule.

On March 20, 2018, ABC joined leading employer organizations to form the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage (P4ESC). The coalition will work to strengthen and protect employment-based health care coverage and will champion solutions to protect these benefits for hardworking Americans.

Continued strength in construction resulted in a 7.3 percent January 2018 not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate, down 2.1 percent from January 2017 and the lowest national January rate on record, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by ABC. Further, estimated construction unemployment rates were down in all 50 states on a year-over-year basis.