Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused billions of dollars in damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure, yet people are not fully understanding the magnitude of the issue right now, said Mike Burke, CEO of engineering company Aecom.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2—Nonresidential construction spending expanded 0.5 percent in August, totaling $691.8 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, according to an analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Though this represents an improvement from July’s total ($688.2 billion), nonresidential spending remains 3.4 percent below its year-ago level and is down 3.8 percent from the cyclical peak attained in May 2017.

Organizations face increasing pressure to shrink technology budgets and get more out of smaller investments. Technology initiatives are now just another initiative to be evaluated like every other, whether a new building, product or service offering; employee development; or any other core investment.

According to the data released on Friday, September 1, 2017 by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction employment rose by 28,000 in August, after showing little change over the prior 5 months. Employment among residential specialty trade contractors edged up by 12,000 over the month.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1—Nonresidential construction spending fell 1.7 percent in July, totaling $688.4 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, according to an analysis by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The absolute level of nonresidential construction spending was at its lowest point since December 2015.

Nonresidential construction spending fell 2% in June, to $697 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis according to US Census Bureau data released this week. This is the lowest level since January 2016, when spending was reported at $690 billion, and the first time since then that it has fallen below $700 billion.

The skilled labor shortage spans several major industries in the United States (and overseas)—a trend that has hit construction particularly hard in recent years. During the Great Recession, the construction industry hit some low lows, but along with the problems of a declining economy comes the hope of an eventual recovery. The construction industry achieved a notable resurgence this year, with growth across commercial and residential projects, including roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.

According to the data released on Friday, July 7, 2017 by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry added 16,000 net new jobs (seasonally adjusted).

WASHINGTON, July 3 - Nonresidential construction spending expanded by 0.3 percent on both a monthly and yearly basis in May and stands at $714.3 billion on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to analysis of a report from the U.S. Census Bureau released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

While construction historically has lagged other sectors in terms of IT investment, such spending is now accelerating as more and more organizations wake up to the need to move beyond the industry’s traditional practices. At the same time, the speed of technology development has increased the availability of robust, customizable cloud solutions, which is lowering the barrier to adoption.