The following article was originally published by the Centered on Safety website. Reprinted with permission.
In the United States, women represent less than 9 percent of construction workers, according to 2014 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and only 1.3 percent are working as operating engineers or other construction equipment operators. Other countries report similar statistics. There are a variety of reasons women don’t consider construction as a career path.
Reshaping the Construction Industry
Ramos is both an exception in the modern construction industry and exactly the kind of worker that local employers are struggling to cultivate amid a generations-long downturn in the skill and availability of construction labor.
May 16, 2017
Editor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry. The producer price index (PPI) for final demand in April, not seasonally adjusted, increased 0.4% from March and 2.5% year-over-year (y/y) from April 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Thursday. AGC posted tables and an explanation focusing on construction prices and costs. Final demand includes goods, services and five types of nonresidential buildings that BLS says make up 34% of total construction.
May 15, 2017
The following article originally appeared in the May newsletter to clients of Kiley Advisors, now a part of FMI Corporation. Reprinted with permission.
There is an amazing similarity between what real champions in both sports and business do, and it is worth some reflection. In the broadest sense, these people and organizations, no matter what their demonstrated competencies and past performance records, strive, not just hope, to get better. They take proactive steps to develop a qualified outside support system that allows them to make candid comparisons, set realistic strategic targets, and develop the specific skills needed. They have extraordinary mental toughness and discipline. They know they can get better; they make the investments to acquire the guidance and coaching; they do the work. They repeat this process.
May 12, 2017
As we noted in previous posts, we will keep you up-to-date on the latest developments on this project. It seems now that Joe Montana, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers football team, is caught up in the construction issues at the Millennium Tower commonly known as the Leaning Tower of San Francisco. According to SFGate (the web publication of the San Francisco Chronicle), Montana and his wife have sued Millennium Partners, the developers of the tower, and the Transit Joint Powers Authority, the public authority building the transit center next door, for $2.7 million in damages for the purchase and $1 million in “consequential damages.”
May 11, 2017
A few weeks ago, a crane collapsed early on a Sunday morning while attempting to remove a 7,000-pound sign which hangs over the intersection of Westheimer and Post Oak Boulevard near the Houston Galleria. Anyone who has visited the area will remember the iconic circular street signs which hang over three Galleria-area intersections. The signs are being temporarily relocated during a construction project to widen Post Oak Blvd.
May 10, 2017
After previous assurances from Governor Greg Abbott that he wanted lawmakers to pass a narrowly-focused crackdown on local sheriffs who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials, the bill he signed this week “banning sanctuary cities” is much more far-reaching. Among other things, it will allow police to inquire about immigration status before a person is arrested. Critics argue the provision amounts to a “show me your papers” law similar to the one passed in Arizona back in 2010.
May 09, 2017
Do you ever feel that way? “I just can’t get respect from my crews.” The issue may not always be with everyone else; it may be a simple issue that you may not even be aware of. I see many tradesman, office workers, clerks, managers, and many others of those in the workforce that are trying so hard to achieve their own goals that they set for themselves, they forget about the many people around them that could make achieving their goals much easier. It starts out small, by putting demands on those around you that are not explained, or delivered in a respectful way to the other person. Over time it comes to a point where you are blaming everyone around you for not doing a good job, or “I am so overworked I have to do everything.”
May 08, 2017
The following article originally appeared in the May newsletter to clients of Kiley Advisors, now a part of FMI Corporation, for the purpose of providing the latest leading indicators and industry issues to those clients. Reprinted with permission .
Two and a half years after the fateful Thanksgiving OPEC decision in 2014, our Houston construction market is starting to feel the full impact of oil’s decline. Increasingly, contractors are having to look to public work for the meatier projects as the private sector waits for energy prices to stabilize.
May 05, 2017
This is the change year for politics, construction, and technology. One wise philosopher once said that, “Every time of change brings tremendous risk, but also brings tremendous opportunity.”
Emily Peiffer over at Construction Dive published a paper on 10 Construction Industry Trends to Watch in 2017. Watch if you want to, but I would go further and say that if you want to emerge in a better position in 2018, you had better incorporate some of these changes into your business today.
May 04, 2017