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☆ A national shortage of construction workers is driving high home prices. The industry is struggling to fill the gap.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Eliza Relman | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Fewer construction workers means less — and slower — residential construction, which in turn leads to higher home prices, according to a 2023 report from researchers at the University of Utah and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Builders and infrastructure projects are in desperate need of all kinds of construction workers, but especially skilled tradespeople. Simonson said that allowing more immigrants into the country to fill construction jobs is crucial. Making the industry more appealing to womenBoushey pointed out that the share of women in the overall construction industry has climbed. The construction industry is also at a disadvantage because most workers can't do manual labor until they retire.

Persons: —, Ken Simonson, Kit Dickinson, Dickinson, Ben Brubeck, Maja Rosenquist, Mortenson, we've, Simonson, Brubeck, Rosenquist, Joe Biden, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Heather Boushey, Biden, Boushey, she's Organizations: Service, Associated Builders and Contractors, Business, Associated, Contractors of America, University of Utah, University of Wisconsin - Madison, ADP, —, Builders, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Economic Advisers Locations: president's, America

☆ Overtime pay: Millions more salaried workers will be eligible under final Biden administration rule
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Millions of salaried workers will soon qualify for overtime pay under a final rule released by the US Department of Labor on Tuesday. The new rule raises the salary threshold under which salaried employees are eligible for overtime in two stages. About 4 million more workers will qualify for overtime when the rule is fully implemented in January, the agency estimates. “Too often, lower-paid salaried workers are doing the same job as their hourly counterparts but are spending more time away from their families for no additional pay. The salary threshold will be updated every three years, starting July 1, 2027, the agency said.

Persons: Julie Su, Trump, Obama, “, ”, Ted Hollis, Brady, Sean Kennedy, DOL, Ben Brubeck, Barack Obama Organizations: CNN, US Department of Labor, Labor, Quarles, National Restaurant Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, Labor Department Locations: South, Texas

☆ Biden's laws are pouring billions into new infrastructure and it could be a rare opportunity to make communities safer and more sustainable
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave it a C-minus in 2021 and said the US needed about $2.6 trillion in infrastructure investment over a decade. These include nonvehicle transportation projects such as pedestrian bridges and urban bike paths and neighborhood-level projects like park improvements. Inflation, worker shortages, and other obstaclesAcross the country, there are some key practical challenges to implementing infrastructure projects. Overcoming barriersLocal governments and employers across the country recognize many of the challenges to building and maintaining major projects. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act alone, 72 programs "emphasize or allow some type of workforce development activity," a Brookings report found.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Joseph Kane, Charles Marohn, Marohn, Kane, Drew Angerer, it's, Biden, It's, Greg Gianforte Organizations: Service, American Society of Civil Engineers, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Business, Transportation, Brookings Institution, Rail, Potomac, White House, Texas Department, US Department of Transportation, Michigan's, Grant, they're, Biden, Builders and Contractors, Congress, Jobs Act, Brookings Locations: Washington, Strong, Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long, New York, Austin, Austinites, America, Detroit, Brookings, Montana

REUTERS/Seth Wenig/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday moved to extend mandatory overtime pay to 3.6 million salaried workers, going even further than an Obama-era rule that was struck down in court. The proposed rule would not affect overtime eligibility for workers who are paid hourly. Salaried workers who earn above the salary threshold may still be eligible for overtime pay if they do not primarily perform management-related duties. But a federal judge in Texas the following year said that ceiling was so high that it could sweep in some management workers who are exempt from overtime pay protections. Ben Brubeck, vice president of construction trade group Associated Builders and Contractors, on Wednesday called the proposed rule disappointing.

Persons: Seth Wenig, Joe Biden, Obama, Trump, Jessica Looman, Looman, Ben Brubeck, DOL, Brubeck, Daniel Wiessner, Bernadette Baum, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Brooklyn, REUTERS, U.S, U.S . Department of Labor, Labor Department, Workers, Associated Builders and Contractors, Thomson Locations: New York, California, Texas, Albany , New York

☆ VP Harris promises a 'raise' for US workers on federal projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated the new labor reforms at a Philadelphia union hall, calling the administration unapologetically pro-union. "When union wages go up, everyone's wages go up. The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 tasks the government with establishing wage floors - known as prevailing wages - that apply to construction projects funded by the federal government. Today, it applies to more than one million construction workers on $200 billion of such projects, the administration said. Trade groups have long criticized the prevailing wage requirements, saying they discourage small businesses from seeking federal contracts.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Kevin Wurm, Biden, Joe Biden, Davis, handout, Ben Brubeck, Jarrett Renshaw, Trevor Hunnicutt, Alistair Bell Organizations: Eastern, Jobs, REUTERS, U.S, Democratic Party, Labor Department, Trade, Biden, Builders, Contractors, Trump, Edison Research, Thomson Locations: Rewild, Washington , U.S, Philadelphia, America, Pennsylvania

☆ Harris promises a 'raise' for U.S. workers on federal projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Persons: Kamala Harris, Biden, Joe Biden, Davis, handout, Ben Brubeck Organizations: White, Washington , D.C, U.S, Democratic Party, Labor Department, Trade, Biden, Builders, Contractors, Trump, Edison Research Locations: Washington ,, Philadelphia, America, Pennsylvania

And yet, the industry is currently battling the highest level of unfilled job openings ever recorded. The construction industry averaged more than 390,000 job openings per month in 2022, the highest level on record, while unemployment in the sector of 4.6% was the second lowest on record. "Commercial construction materials prices are now 40% higher than they were back in February 2020. For construction workers, pay is boomingFor workers who seek construction jobs, the timing has never been better. "The construction industry is now paying 80% more than the average non-farm job in the United States."

Persons: Anirban Basu, Maria Davidson, Lori Ann Larocco, Davidson, it's, Michael Elder, Rucha Vankudre, It's, Brian Turmail, Turmail, doesn't, we've, Vankudre Organizations: Associated Builders and Contractors, ABC, MBTA, Boston Globe, General Contractors of America, . Census Locations: U.S, Boston, United States

☆ How on-the-job training programs could help solve America's massive labor shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Christian Nunley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

These formal job-training programs allow potential workers to bypass traditional requirements such as college degrees and directly enter the workforce. And that's why we've been advocating funding for training organizations or what we call apprenticeship intermediaries, to work with companies to help them get started." Last summer the White House passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which grants funding to several industries that rely heavily on skilled labor like infrastructure, manufacturing and more. As the U.S. economy faces skill shortages in a wide range of industries, these on-the-job training programs could become essential to the new American economy. Watch the video above to learn more about America's need for more highly skilled and trained employees and how the changing apprenticeship model could help fill that gap.

Persons: Robert Lerman, we've Organizations: American Health Association, National Center for Educational Statistics, Associated Builders and Contractors, Urban Institute Locations: U.S

Gig company stocks were hammered by the news, with Uber (UBER.N), Lyft (LYFT.O) and DoorDash (DASH.N) all falling at least 10%. The proposal would require that workers be considered employees, entitled to more benefits and legal protections than contractors, when they are "economically dependent" on a company. Millions of Americans are working "gig" jobs and this labor has become vital to some transportation, restaurant, construction, health care and other industries. "Misclassification deprives workers of their federal labor protections, including their right to be paid their full, legally earned wages," Walsh said. Seth Harris, President Joe Biden's former top labor adviser, said the rule will not directly impact how courts determine whether workers are employees or independent contractors.

Gig company stocks were hammered on the news, with Uber (UBER.N), Lyft (LYFT.O) and DoorDash (DASH.N) all falling at least 10%. Employees can cost companies up to 30% more than independent contractors, studies suggest. U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in a statement said businesses often misclassify vulnerable workers as independent contractors. Those groups have said that any broad rule would hurt workers who want to remain independent and have flexibility. Worker advocacy groups have said that companies are increasingly misclassifying employees as independent contractors, depriving workers of fair pay and benefits to pad their profits.

☆ Rideshare, retailers brace for tough U.S. independent contractor rule
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Broadly defining independent contractors as employees would also force companies to pay benefits, such as overtime pay and health benefits, that would hurt their bottom line. Employers can save about 30 percent by skipping payroll taxes and unemployment and benefit costs, workers' groups estimate. The meetings at the White House were one-sided, with officials at OIRA letting groups speak and not participating or asking follow-up questions, several employer sources said. A White House official said that listening without comment is part of the standard rulemaking process at OIRA. WORKERS WARN OF GROWING PAINGig Workers Rising, RideShare Workers United, Mobile Workers Alliance, We Drive Progress also met White House officials to broaden the definition of employee further, according to records and sources.

☆ While DeSantis was flying legal asylum seekers to Martha's Vineyard, business owners in his state are struggling for workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Which is why some business owners in Florida were perplexed when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent legal asylum seekers from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha’s Vineyard on two flights earlier this month. Asylum seekers are legally able to work in the United States while they await their asylum cases. Whether the asylum seekers intended to go to Florida or not, business owners there are signaling they would welcome them. Florida granted 7,101 asylum seekers permanent political asylum status between 2018-2020, just behind California and New Jersey. Gautam believes if more asylum seekers are granted permanent status, it will be “a game changer” for the longevity of his business and workforce.

☆ While DeSantis was flying legal asylum seekers to Martha's Vineyard, business owners in his state were struggling for workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Which is why some business owners in Florida were perplexed when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent legal asylum seekers from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha's Vineyard on two flights earlier this month. Asylum seekers are legally able to work in the United States while they await their asylum cases. Whether the asylum seekers intended to go to Florida or not, business owners there are signaling they would welcome them. Florida granted 7,101 asylum seekers permanent political asylum status between 2018-2020, just behind California and New Jersey. Gautam believes if more asylum seekers are granted permanent status, it will be "a game changer" for the longevity of his business and workforce.

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