While the U.S. economy is in recovery mode, it remains under stress in a fashion not seen in more than a century. The onset of the coronavirus health crisis in the Spring caused an unprecedented collapse in economic activity that is being reversed, but more gradually than was initially expected. Hopes for a smooth progression of upwards growth to flow from store and restaurant reopenings have been waylaid by a winter upsurge in COVID-19 infections, with the prospect that demands on the health care system will worsen before beginning to ease once again.

Due to its complexity, much of the subject matter concerning the economy requires detailed editorial commentary, often supported by relevant tables and graphs.

After dropping to 711,000 for the week ending November 7, the U.S. initial jobless claims number has been heading back up again for two periods in a row. For November 14, it was 748,000 and most recently, for November 21, it was 778,000.

The Fun of ‘Home’ Shopping on the Internet In the early days of the coronavirus health crisis, an expectation was held by many analysts in the U.S. and Canada that residential real estate would be devastated. After all, there were enormous jobs and income losses in March and April and with ‘social distancing’ becoming the rule, there was no taste for ‘open houses’ or walk-through visitations.

Listed below are ConstructConnect’s Hot Commercial Construction Projects, both public and private, for the week. Our Hot Projects showcases three currently bidding or sub-bidding projects from all 50 states and the District of Columbia pulled from our extensive database of construction leads.

Inflation Down for the Count? The year-over-year change in consumer prices in the U.S. in October was +1.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In Canada, the latest month’s price climb was only +0.7% y/y, as calculated by Statistics Canada.

The accompanying table records the 10 largest construction project starts in Canada in October 2020. Also included is the latest trend graph on starts. This looks at 12-month moving totals of the civil and nonresidential building categories in Canada.

Not that long ago, general contractors who weren't using a subcontractor prequalification process were taking a huge risk. We were in the midst of the Great Recession and good contracting opportunities were becoming harder and harder to find. This led to more firms, both general contractors and subcontractors, bidding on projects they weren't equipped to handle. General contractors were focused more on getting the lowest bid from subcontractors rather than making sure they were capable of adequately performing the work.

Listed below are ConstructConnect’s Hot Commercial Construction Projects, both public and private, for the week. Our Hot Projects showcases three currently bidding or sub-bidding projects from all 50 states and the District of Columbia pulled from our extensive database of construction leads.

Construction project management is not a one-size-fits-all practice. Managers and supervisors will change their practices to suit a specific job site, but some approaches continue to be favorites regardless of time, distance or specific need. What are the most popular project management approaches in the construction industry, and why are they essential?