Construction helps economy gain momentum

January 8, 2014 10:19 am Leave a comment

Chris Neill (left) and Matt Fochs, both employees of Wall-Tech Inc., Madison, hang glass mat sheathing on an exterior wall Nov. 21 at the UW Health at the American Center project in Madison. J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Madison, is overseeing the 486,000-square-foot hospital project, which is composed of several wings and a parking structure on a 42-acre site on Madison’s east side. The project is slated to be complete in summer 2015. (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

A private survey shows U.S. businesses added the most jobs in a year in December, powered by a big gain in construction. The figures are the latest evidence that the economy gained momentum at the end of 2013.

Tagged with: jobs Labor Department

Businesses again challenge union poster rules

December 18, 2013 11:46 am Leave a comment

A prominent business group filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging government rules that require federal contractors to display posters telling workers they have a legal right to form a union.

Tagged with: Labor Department NLRB unions

Study: Labor violations don’t stop government contracts

December 11, 2013 3:43 pm Leave a comment

The federal government awards billions of dollars in contracts each year to companies that routinely violate safety, health and wage regulations, according to a report released Wednesday that calls for stricter measures to hold federal contractors accountable.

Tagged with: Labor Department NLRB osha

Construction spending up 0.8 percent in October

December 2, 2013 3:08 pm Leave a comment

Glenn Buyze of Buyze & Ver Velde Concrete and Construction, Inc., Oostburg, sets concrete blocks Monday, Nov. 18, for a future entrance at the Milwaukee Enterprise Center South in Milwaukee. Creative Constructors, LLC, Menomonie Falls, is overseeing a remolding at the site which is expected to be complete before the start of the spring semester. (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

U.S. developers boosted construction spending in October at the fastest pace in more than four years, propelled by a surge in government projects. But spending on home construction and commercial projects both fell.

Tagged with: construction spending Labor Department National Association of Home Builders

Construction job openings fall in July

September 10, 2013 1:06 pm Leave a comment

U.S. employers advertised fewer jobs in July but hired more workers, a mixed sign that suggests only modest improvement in the job market.

Tagged with: jobs Labor Department

US economy adds 88K jobs, rate drops to 7.6 percent

April 5, 2013 8:57 am Leave a comment

A crowd of job seekers attends a health care job fair, Thursday, March 14, 2013 in New York. Fewer Americans sought unemployment aid last week, reducing the average number of weekly applications last month to a five-year low. The drop shows that fewer layoffs are strengthening the job market. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications fell 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 332,000. That cut the four-week average to 346,750, the lowest since the week of March 8, 2008, just several months after the Great Recession began. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

U.S. employers added just 88,000 jobs in March, the fewest in nine months and a sharp retreat after a period of strong hiring. The slowdown may signal that the economy is heading into a weak spring.

Tagged with: jobs Labor Department unemployment

Weekly US unemployment claims fall to 340,000

March 7, 2013 9:13 am Leave a comment

The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell to a seasonally adjusted 340,000 last week, driving down the four-week average to its lowest level in five years. The drop is a positive sign ahead of Friday's report on February job growth.

Tagged with: jobs Labor Department unemployment

Weekly US unemployment aid claims drop to 344K

February 28, 2013 10:22 am Leave a comment

The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell 22,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 344,000, evidence that the job market may be picking up.

Tagged with: jobs Labor Department unemployment