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ABC: Every State Had a Construction Unemployment Rate Below 10% in June

William Attardi on August 3, 2026

The national June not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate was 4.7%, a 1.3% increase from June 2025, according to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors. The analysis found that every state had a construction unemployment rate below 10% and all but three states (Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island) had a rate below 7%. ABC: Every State Had a Construction Unemployment Rate Below 10% in June

ABC: Construction Employment Rebounds by 26,000 in March

William Attardi on April 3, 2026

The construction industry added 26,000 jobs in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has grown by 57,000 jobs, an increase of 0.7%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 12,200 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential building added the most jobs, increasing by 4,500 positions. Nonresidential specialty trade and heavy and civil engineering added 3,900 and 3,800 jobs, respectively, in March. The construction unemployment rate was 6.7% in March. Unemployment across all industries dropped to 4.3%, but is still 0.1 percentage points higher than one year ago.  ABC: Construction Employment Rebounds by 26,000 in March – tEDmag

ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds Solid 27,900 Jobs in January

William Attardi on February 12, 2026

The construction industry added 33,000 jobs on net in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has grown by 44,000 jobs, an increase of 0.5%. Nonresidential construction employment expanded by 27,900 positions, with gains in 2 of the 3 subcategories. Nonresidential specialty trade added 25,100 jobs, while nonresidential building added 3,600 new positions. Heavy and civil engineering lost 800 jobs in January. The construction unemployment rate was 6.9% in January. Unemployment across all industries decreased to 4.3% and is 0.3 percentage points higher than one year ago. ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds Solid 27,900 Jobs in January

Inflation Held Steady at 2.7% to End 2025

William Attardi on January 18, 2026

Consumer prices rose 2.7% in December, virtually unchanged from November and roughly in line with analysts’ expectations, per the latest reading from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation was helped by falling used car and truck prices, but rising grocery costs prevented the rate from making more progress toward the Fed’s 2% target. Food prices spiked 0.7% in December—the fastest monthly gain since 2022, the New York Times noted. Compared to the same period in 2024, food prices were up by 3.1%. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has previously said he expects the peak impact of tariffs to show up in Q1 of this year. Morning Brew

US Third-Quarter Productivity Rises at Fastest Pace in Two Years

William Attardi on January 11, 2026

U.S. worker productivity grew at its fastest pace in two years in the ​third quarter as businesses invested heavily in artificial ‌intelligence, depressing labor costs. Nonfarm productivity, which measures hourly output per worker, accelerated ‌at a 4.9% annualized rate, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was the quickest pace since the third quarter of 2023 and followed an upwardly revised ⁠4.1% growth rate in ‌the second quarter. US third-quarter productivity rises at fastest pace in two years

ABC: Construction Adds 15K Jobs in June

William Attardi on July 8, 2025

The construction industry added 15,000 jobs on net in June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has increased by 121,000 jobs, or 1.5%. The construction unemployment rate fell to 3.4% last month. Unemployment across all industries declined from 4.2% in May to 4.1% in June.  June’s employment report, coupled with recent inflation data, indicate that the U.S. economy continues to demonstrate solid momentum, stable unemployment and declining inflation. Construction added jobs for a second consecutive month.  ABC: Construction Adds 15K Jobs in June – tEDmag

The Creator of Baby Ruth Actually Sued Babe Ruth –The Baby Ruth candy bar was created by the Curtiss Candy Company in 1920 — the same year that baseball legend Babe Ruth hit a then-record 54 home runs. But the Great Bambino was irked that the company was selling a candy bar with such a similar name to his own without offering him any royalties. Rather than take the Curtiss Candy Company to court, the Sultan of Swat decided to make his own candy bar, and in 1926 he debuted Ruth’s Home Run bar. The Curtiss Candy Company responded by turning the tables and taking Ruth to court. They accused the slugger of trying to steal their trademark and capitalize on the success of their brand. In a 1931 deposition, Curtiss founder Otto Schnering insisted the candy was named after “Baby Ruth” Cleveland — the daughter of President Grover Cleveland.  He also attested that the company came up with the name in 1919 before the baseball player had become a household name and that the name was merely coincidental. While the validity of those claims is disputed to this day, the court nonetheless ruled in favor of the candy company, forcing Ruth to end his foray into the world of candy.