On March 27, President Donald Trump repealed the Department of Labor’s contentious Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Act, also known as the “blacklisting” rule, a move welcomed by Associated Builders and Contractors and the merit shop construction industry, reports Construction Dive. ABC led the charge against the legislation, arguing it violated First Amendment rights of their members who would be required to disclose compliance information. http://www.constructiondive.com/news/update-trump-repeals-dol-blacklisting-rule/437542/
Contractor Confidence Ends 2016 Down but Still in Positive Territory
The majority of industrial and commercial construction contractors still expect growth this year, despite ending 2016 on a downward note, according to the latest Associated Builders and Contractors’ Construction Confidence Index (CCI). Although all three diffusion indices in the survey — profit margins, sales and staffing levels—fell by more than five points, they remain well above the threshold of 50, which signals that construction activity will continue to be one of the few significant drivers of economic growth in 2017. CCI is a diffusion index that reflects the nation’s construction contractors’ perceptions of the business environment over a six-month period, as well as the prospects for commercial and industrial construction spending growth in the months ahead. You can read the full report here. http://www.abc.org/NewsMedia/ConstructionEconomics/ConstructionConfidenceIndex/tabid/274/entryid/8339/contractor-confidence-ends-2016-down-but-still-in-positive-territory.aspx
Construction Among Top Three Industries for Drone Use
The construction, industrial and utility inspection sector accounts for 26 percent of current commercial drone use, per the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2017-2027 Aerospace Forecast. https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation/aerospace_forecasts/media/FY2017-37_FAA_Aerospace_Forecast.pdf The sector’s share of commercial drone use is second to aerial photography and tied with the real estate sector to make it one of the top three industries that have incorporated drone use for business purposes.