In today’s construction news, learn about First Responders and construction workers, including contractors and home improvement stores, offered free hurricane recovery goods and resources. Meanwhile, Harris Health System and project development and construction firm Skanska have signed a deal for a new medical facility in Houston, Texas. Lastly, at the end of August, there was a minor increase in the number of open positions as the labor market continued to stabilize after the COVID-19 pandemic’s interruptions.
After Hurricane Helene, Construction Industry Aids Hardest-hit States
Original Source: Construction industry leaps into help U.S. states hardest hit by Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene was the worst U.S. tropical hurricane since 2005.
It dumped 40 trillion gallons of rain and destroyed numerous houses and businesses along a 500-mile swath in the southeast.
First responders and construction workers, including contractors and home improvement stores, offered free hurricane recovery goods and resources.
Facebook pages and free networks immediately connected hurricane survivors with reliable contractors and supplies that might help with home repairs including tarping roofs and clearing mud and debris.
One contractor that reacted was Perry, Ga.’s Luke Yoder, manager of Yoder Construction. A few hours from his hometown, he recruited a team and packed supplies for a four-day excursion to Hendersonville, North Carolina. After leaving Oct. 2, the team planned to give out 1,000 liters of gas to power cars and generators. They intended to give warm lunches and clean roads with chainsaws.
Yoder posted on social media to accept contributions at his shop after the storm. He raised over $8,000 for petrol and supplies.
“This has been a humbling experience, to say the least,” he wrote. “To see all the supplies and money that have come in, from $20 donations and then saying they want to give more when they get their next paycheck, to pallets of water, baby supplies, and more. It’s impossible to thank everyone individually right now because we still have more pouring in.
If anything arrives, I’ll make sure it gets to those who need it, even if it takes additional trucks and trailers. I want to directly help folks who need it and can’t get to drop points.
Home Depot Foundation, the non-profit arm of Home Depot, pledged $2 million toward storm aid.
Home Depot sent teams to bring supplies and start cleanup and repairs. The retailer’s non-profit partners are delivering food, water, hygiene products, and cleaning materials to affected communities and clearing roads.
ToolBank Disaster Services supplies tools and equipment to organizations in Florida, while volunteers clean up areas in both North and South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.
The Home Depot Foundation’s executive director, Erin Izen, said the corporation is thinking of hurricane-affected communities.
“The Foundation and Team Depot are working with our disaster relief partners to help those affected by this catastrophic storm.”
At several Florida and Georgia sites, Lowe’s offered complimentary hurricane cleanup goods. Stores distributed buckets of sponges, goggles, moisture absorbers, water, heavy-duty contractor trash bags, flashlights, and batteries.
Lowe’s emergency response team sent around 100 trained members to help with hurricane recovery.
To remove waste, Florida-based BullBag Reusable Dumpster sent more vehicles, support staff, and a limitless supply of 10-cubic-yard reusable dumpsters.
Michael Tidwell, operations director, said BullBag is part of this community. “We’re local and ready to help our neighbors in any way we can.”
Facebook groups in Florida and Georgia help people find contractors or cleanup workers with heavy equipment to remove trees and other debris.
The free Disaster Contractors Network in Florida connects homeowners with qualified contractors for building repairs or construction.
Although there has been widespread sympathy, authorities caution homeowners with damaged properties to remain vigilant against contractor fraud and schemes targeting vulnerable individuals.
The NICB published a contractor fraud alert and suggestions to avoid issues after a storm.
“Hurricane Helene has already caused enough devastation to honest, hardworking southeast residents, and unscrupulous contractors may try to take advantage of their situation for personal gain,” said NICB president and CEO David Glawe.
Residents should be extremely cautious about these scams. Door-to-door contractors who demand upfront payments, encourage you to sign hurriedly written contracts, or dissuade you from talking to your insurance provider should be avoided.
In Georgia, Attorney General Chris Carr warned of home repair fraud, charity fraud, impostor schemes, and price gouging.
“Doing research on a company or contractor can help prevent one tragedy from leading to another,” he said.
Skanska Gets Two US Contracts for Construction
Original Source: Skanska secures two US construction contracts
Harris Health System has contracted Skanska to build a new Houston hospital.
The $54m contract will be included in Q3 2024 US order bookings.
The Harris Health Central Fill Pharmacy and related departments will be housed in a four-story facility.
The first and second floors of the new structure can be converted to clinical usage if healthcare needs change.
Construction begins in November 2024 and is expected to finish in May 2026.
Skanska also launched a US JV with McCourt Construction and AETNA Bridge Company.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation awarded this JV a design-build contract for the Providence, Cranston, and Warwick I-95 15 Project.
Skanska’s $417m portion of the $625m contract will be reflected in the third quarter of 2024 order bookings.
The I-95 15 Project aims to improve 185,000 vehicle transit daily.
The concept removes 15 bridges, reduces deck area by 17.5%, and improves truck freight movement to 45.2bn tonnes per year.
Project began in August 2024 and is scheduled for completion in August 2031.
Skanska and ECCO III Enterprises signed a $848m deal with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection in September 2024.
This contract builds the Hillview Reservoir Chemical Addition Facilities in Yonkers, US, as part of the Consent Decree and Judgment.
Construction Jobs Rise Slightly
Original Source: Job Openings Increase Slightly, Led by Construction
The labor market is recovering from the COVID-19 outbreak, and employment availability improved modestly in August.
Eight million jobs were open, up from 7.7 million in July. Most labor market analysts believe the job market has cooled over the past year, and the Labor Department reported 1.3 million fewer jobs on Tuesday.
Construction and state and local government generated 138,000 and 78,000 jobs, respectively. There were 93,000 fewer service jobs.
“Job openings had a big gain, and while these numbers are volatile, it’s likely employers see falling interest rates boosting the economy and want to staff up after three months of weak hiring,” said Navy Federal Corporate Economist Robert Frick. “We’re months from a robust jobs market, and workers know this and quit slower.”
In its latest job outlook poll, Manpower reported that 35% and 32% of employers in the information technology and finance and real estate sectors had the strongest recruiting aspirations.
Rajesh Namboothiry, Manpower’s senior vice president for North America, said companies are optimistic about the interest rate change. “Bigger employers are more optimistic.”
The Federal Reserve dropped interest rates by 0.5 percentage points two weeks ago, with Chairman Jerome Powell citing the labor market as its main concern since inflation has largely subsided.
“We do not believe that we need to see further cooling in labor market conditions to achieve 2% inflation,” Powell told the NABE on Monday.
The Labor Department’s September jobs report will provide economists a job market reading on Friday. The August payroll rise of 142,000 is expected to boost growth by 146,000.
Vanguard used 401(k) enrollment to assess the job market and found that hiring has slowed since August.
“The U.S. has experienced higher-than-expected labor supply growth over the past two years,” said Vanguard labor analyst Adam Schickling. “New entrants have a higher unemployment rate because they take longer to find work. This explains why the unemployment rate has climbed over the past year despite relatively low job losses. This labor supply expansion has also helped the Fed fight inflation.
Summary of today’s construction news
To sum it up, after a catastrophe like this, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released a contractor fraud notice along with advice on how to prevent issues. “Scrupulous contractors may try to take advantage of their situation for personal gain in the days to come, but Hurricane Helene has already caused enough devastation to the honest, hardworking residents of the southeast,” said David Glawe, president and CEO of NICB.
Meanwhile, a joint venture agreement between Skanska and ECCO III Enterprises was also confirmed in September 2024 as part of an $848 million contract with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. As part of the Hillview Reservoir Consent Decree and Judgment, this contract included building the chemical addition facilities at the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, US.
Lastly, at the end of August, the number of available positions went up a little. Construction saw the largest rise, rising by 138,000. However, compared to a year ago, there are 1.3 million fewer open opportunities overall.
