A recent study conducted by Dodge Data & Analytics for the quarterly USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index reveals contractors’ perspectives on the challenges of recruiting new workers and shows that they believe the industry is widely misunderstood by those outside of it, which hampers the efforts to draw people into careers in construction.

With productivity rates at the bottom of the charts, the construction industry may be a little too comfortable with waste in the many forms it can take - overlapping workflows, underutilization of talent, overproduction of materials and more. Small inefficiencies that go unnoticed for a long period of time can add up and cause schedule setbacks and project increases, some argue - a bit like the boiling frog scenario.

President Donald Trump has discontinued threatening to impose tariffs on Mexico that were supposed to take effect Monday after the two countries reportedly signed a deal on Mexican migrants into the U.S. According to Bloomberg, Mexico has agreed to expand deployment of its national guard with priority to its southern border, and to care for illegal asylum seekers crossing the border who are returned back to Mexico until their claims in the U.S. can be resolved.

Whether a project is big or small, it seems inevitable that construction defect claims will surface. While the nature of these claims may vary, common patterns are generally present, and construction professionals would do well to understand the distinctions.

In the world of construction, there is nothing more important than safety. One growing risk to job site safety today is distraction caused by personal technology. Nearly everyone in today’s culture has a cell phone or other mobile device in hand or tucked in a pocket, and it only takes one moment of diversion to put someone at risk of getting seriously injured (or worse) on the job.

The construction industry is facing a massive labor shortage. Baby boomers who have worked in construction their entire lives are reaching retirement age, and there aren't enough skilled laborers available to replace them. In the last two decades, academics have focused primarily on getting into a good college and obtaining a four-year degree as the only path to success, often neglecting the wealth of opportunities available in construction fields.

Although the terms subrogation, anti-subrogation and waiver of subrogation share a root word, each is a distinct concept. Understanding the different variations of subrogation can be important for virtually anyone involved in buying insurance or the claims process. At the heart of the three principles are insurers’ recovery rights. Accordingly, insurance policy wording can be decisive. However, contracts between parties and the law of the jurisdiction can also influence outcomes.

Why is our industry so slow to adopt technology when we know it will make our lives easier and make us more money? Contractors who are early tech adopters are using their experience to gain an edge over their competition. This should be you.

Prefabrication is promising for the construction industry since it moves part of the building process to a controlled factory environment. External factors such as the weather and traffic have a reduced impact on the project, and construction waste can be reduced. Since prefabrication reduces uncertainty during the construction process, it helps developers meet their deadlines. This is a significant advantage in competitive real estate markets, such as New York City and Chicago.

Construction workers tend to earn more than the typical occupation. According to 2017 wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the entry-level wage (10th percentile) for construction workers is 32% higher than the occupational average. The typical wage (median) is 15% higher. With the right job and the right training, construction workers can earn even more than that. 

When long term care is needed, there are only a few options available to pay for those types of expenses. Genworth Life Insurance Company and CISCA are working together to provide members with access to long term care insurance protection.

This one-hour session will provide a quick overview of recent recordkeeping developments, followed by a review of the decision logic used to determine which cases should be recorded. Special emphasis will be given to how to decide if a case is work-related under OSHA since this part of the process is where most struggle.

Approaching the halfway mark of the year, the commercial construction industry is strong, staving off any premature cooling before an impending economic downturn and integrating innovation in relatively slow but steady measures all the time. But what do experts anticipate for the rest of the year and going into next? 

Financial statements tell contractors, as well as sureties, bankers and other stakeholders, how well a construction company is doing. A contractor’s character, capacity and capital are determined by the numbers reported on the company’s financial statements. Commonly referred to as the “three Cs,” these indicators provide a foundation for sureties to form an opinion on a contractor’s past, current and future performance.