a:26:{s:9:"weblog_id";s:1:"4";s:8:"entry_id";s:0:"";s:6:"sticky";s:0:"";s:14:"allow_comments";s:1:"n";s:16:"allow_trackbacks";s:1:"n";s:10:"entry_date";s:19:"2008-10-13 08:52 PM";s:15:"expiration_date";s:0:"";s:23:"comment_expiration_date";s:0:"";s:8:"category";a:2:{i:0;s:1:"4";i:1;s:2:"24";}s:9:"author_id";s:1:"2";s:6:"status";s:4:"open";s:14:"trackback_urls";s:0:"";s:18:"versioning_enabled";s:1:"y";s:5:"title";s:41:"AGC Economist Predicts Further Job Losses";s:9:"url_title";s:41:"agc_economist_predicts_further_job_losses";s:6:"submit";s:6:"Submit";s:11:"field_id_26";s:41:"AGC Economist Predicts Further Job Losses";s:11:"field_ft_26";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_31";s:0:"";s:11:"field_id_44";s:321:"\"The drop in construction employment accelerated in September and will get much worse unless credit markets reopen,\" Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said October 3 following a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that showed construction lost 35,000 jobs last month. ";s:11:"field_ft_44";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_28";s:42:"Simonson, AGC, economist, employment, drop";s:11:"field_ft_28";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_29";s:2003:"<p>\"The drop in construction employment accelerated in September and
will get much worse unless credit markets reopen,\" Ken Simonson, chief
economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said
October 3 following a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that showed
construction lost 35,000 jobs last month. \"State governments from
California to Maine have been shut out of the bond market, while
developers have had bank credit windows slammed shut on their fingers
as they reached for their loans.</p>
<p>\"All types of construction shed workers in September, following an
uptick in nonresidential hiring in August,\" Simonson noted. \"Another
ominous sign is that architectural and engineering services
employment--a harbinger of demand for future construction--rose until
recently but stalled this summer and fell in September.</p>
<p>\"Further, these numbers only reflect payrolls as of September 12,
before the takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac triggered the current
freeze in bank lending,\" Simonson observed. \"Unless Congress adopts a
rescue plan immediately, the October report--due out just after
Election Day--will be much uglier.</p>
<p>\"The bad news on employment comes on the heels of a report from the
Census Bureau on Wednesday that private nonresidential construction
spending fell by nearly 1 percent in both July and August,\" Simonson
stated.</p>
<p>\"State and local construction spending was up, but I fear that will
change as more states each week announce budget shortfalls. Highways
and schools--60 percent of public construction spending--are in
particular jeopardy, because of drops in fuel and property taxes.</p>
<p>\"Even the private categories with the best chance of growth in 2009,
such as power plants, refineries, hospitals and higher education, have
slowed and risk losing access to affordable loans,\" Simonson concluded.
\"The 2009 construction employment and spending outlook will be very
bleak unless credit markets revive promptly.\"</p>";s:10:"category_0";s:1:"4";s:10:"category_1";s:2:"24";}