As U.S. GDP numbers improved this fall and the Dow flirted with 10,000, many economic pundits declared the recession over and the country on the mend, even as overall unemployment reached 10% nationwide.

Meanwhile, construction unemployment in 2009 nearly doubled the general numbers, soaring to 19%, with some regions reaching 28%–35% job losses from August 2008 to August 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

在科罗拉多州，2009年的平均建筑业人数近138,000名工人，下降了14.4％，即2008年的23,200个工作岗位。

The report adds, “While the pace of layoffs will subside in 2010, additional workforce reductions, particularly in the first half of the year, are expected in the face of the limited increase in residential activity and the overall decline in new construction value.”

2010年科罗拉多州的平均建筑业就业预计将降至129,000名工人，损失比2009年少，但下降了6.5％，或大约9,000个工作岗位。如果CU经济学家正确，则减少将使建筑业达到新千年的最低工作总计，回到自1990年代后期开始的水平。

“The problems facing the construction industry aren’t just devastating construction workers, they are crippling our broader economy,” says Stephen Sandherr, chief executive officer for AGC of America. “Simply put, you can’t fix our economy until you fix the construction industry.”

Transportation Sector

A recent industry survey led by AGC revealed that more than 40% of transportation contractors anticipate additional layoffs of non-seasonal employees in 2010, and almost 80% of road and transit builders expect a construction market decline next year, despite the federal stimulus, as the multi-year transportation bill remains stalled.

尽管这笔77.5亿美元的刺激套餐专用于高速公路建设的270亿美元可能挽救了数千个与建筑有关的工作，但这还不足以防止公路和公路承包商之间的广泛裁员。AGC调查发现，尽管刺激资金将继续在明年继续支持运输项目，但由于整体经济状况，有44％的承包商预计必须裁员额外的永久雇员。新利18备用网址63％的人还报告说，由于不利的业务条件，他们必须在2009年期间裁员。

绿色建筑以支持未来4年的800万个美国工作岗位

One bright spot in the overall bleak picture for construction employment is an anticipated surge in jobs related to sustainable construction. Green building will support 7.9 million U.S. jobs and pump $554 billion into the American economy – including $396 billion in wages – over the next four years, according to a new study from the U.S. Green Building Council and Booz Allen Hamilton. 该研究还新利18备用确定，绿色建筑支出目前支持超过200万美国就业机会，并产生了超过1000亿美元的国内生产总值和工资。 The economic impact of the total green construction market from 2000 to 2008, the study found, contributed $178 billion to U.S. gross domestic product; created or saved 2.4 million direct, indirect and induced jobs; and generated $123 billion in wages. The study also assessed the U.S. Green Building Council’s 19,000-plus member organizations and found that they generate $2.6 trillion in annual revenue, employ approximately 14 million people, come from 29 industry sectors and include 46 Fortune 100 companies. The study was released at the USGBC’s annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Phoenix this fall.

“The key to sustainable new job creation in the transportation construction industry is congressional passage soon of the overdue, long-term federal highway and transit program funding bill with new resources for the tapped-out Highway Trust Fund,” says Mike Acott, president of the National Asphalt Pavement Association.

“Contractors in many states still do not see sustainable, state-funded, market growth on the horizon until the overall economy rebounds significantly,” says Alison Black, vice president for policy and chief economist for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. “When they hear that the one source of stable funding for the market over the past four years is in doubt—the core federal highway and transit program—it’s not surprising many are tightening operations.”

尽管有联邦刺激资金，但对AGC调查做出回应的527家公司中有四分之三超过四分之三，他们预计明年在州市场的明年，他们预计明年的“轻微”（46％）或“严重”（32％）下降了工作。超过76％的人期望州运输部门在2010年的投标要少于今年。

AGC首席经济学家肯·西蒙森（Ken Simonson）说：“不可能夸大当前状况的困难或明年前景有多可怕。”“诸如刺激之类的运输基础设施的一次性投资，但它们根本无法代替在我们的道路，桥梁和运输系统中制定长期投资策略。”

Simonson noted that the AGC survey found that only 17% of transportation contractors will enter 2010 with a work volume backlog at least as large, by value, as they had entering 2009. Almost one in five reported they will enter 2010 with at least 50% less backlog than last year. An additional 33% reported the value of their work backlog will be 25% to 50% less going into 2010.

Private Sector

New federal figures show that private construction investments declined by 20.6% between September 2008 and September 2009.

美国人口普查局(Census Bureau)最近的一份报告表明,在那里’s no sign of an economic recovery yet for the nation’s construction industry, AGC’s Sandherr says. “These figures show just how dire business conditions are for the nation’s contractors and their six million-plus employees,” he says. “The only green shoots contractors are seeing are the weeds sprouting around their idle construction equipment.”

The federal figures show the annualized rate of private construction spending declined from $774 billion a year in September 2008 to $614 billion a year in September 2009.

仅在非住宅方面，住宿的施工支出下降了37.4％，办公室的33.3％下降了33.3％，在过去12个月中的商业结构下降了36％。人口普查局说，制造业和电力建设是私人建筑市场唯一看到投资增加的部分，分别为11％和4.8％的收益。

所有建筑项目中有70％以上是私人资助的。新利18备用网址

“Increased public investments in construction and infrastructure are welcome news, but this industry will continue to suffer while demand for private construction continues to plummet,” Sandherr says.