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<p>The stimulus plan appears to be having little influence
on construction companies\' ability to expand payrolls to date according to a
new industry analysis of the impact of the federal program\'s construction
spending released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.</p>
<p>The \"disappointingly\" slow pace of construction
spending outside of the transportation sector is one of the main reasons for
the relatively small impact on new hiring, the group noted.</p>
<p>\"While the construction portion of the stimulus is
having an impact, it is far from delivering its full promise and
potential,\" said Stephen E. Sandherr, the chief executive officer of the
contractors association. \"With construction unemployment at almost double
the national rate, it is disappointing to see so many stimulus programs getting
off to such a slow start.\"</p>
<p>Sandherr said that five months into a federal stimulus
program that has approximately $135 billion dedicated for construction
projects, there is little difference in hiring and purchasing patterns between
companies doing stimulus-funded work and companies that aren\'t.</p>
<p>For example, he noted that while 36 percent of
construction companies with stimulus-funded work report plan to hire new
employees, an almost identical percentage of firms without stimulus-funded work
also plan to make new hires this year or next. He added that while 36 percent
of construction firms with stimulus funded work plan to purchase new equipment
and supplies, a higher rate - 43 percent - of construction firms without
stimulus-funded work report plans to purchase new equipment over the same time
frame.</p>
<p>One reason the stimulus is having a limited impact on
construction hiring and purchasing patterns, Sandherr said, is that outside of
the transportation arena, little of the stimulus\' authorized construction
dollars have resulted in actual construction work. He noted that while the Army</p>
<p>Corps of Engineers is responsible for $4.6 billion in
stimulus construction funds, the agency has only obligated $715 million and
paid out $84 million.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the General Services Administration has only
obligated $656 million and paid out $12 million of its $5.9 billion in stimulus
construction funds. And only half of one percent of the $6 billion in stimulus
funds available for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\'s state clean
water and drinking water programs has been put to use at this point.</p>
<p>He said the slow investment rate for construction funds
was significant to hiring and purchasing patterns because some of the hardest hit
segments of the construction industry are outside of the transportation area.</p>
<p>Sandherr said the stimulus was doing a much better job at
this point in helping construction companies save existing jobs. He noted that
60 percent of construction firms with stimulus-funded work report have saved or retained jobs because of the stimulus.</p>
<p>And he noted that construction firms with stimulus-funded
work do plan to make larger equipment purchases than their colleagues without
stimulus-funded work. Among companies planning equipment purchases, forty-two
percent of firms with stimulus work say they will spend over $500,000, while
only 18 percent of firms without stimulus work will invest more than half a
million dollars in new equipment and supplies.</p>
<p>\"The stimulus is clearly working,\" Sandherr
said. \"It just isn\'t working fast enough for many construction workers in
many communities.\"</p>
<p>Sandherr said there was still time for the Administration
to make sure the multi-year stimulus program delivers on its promise. He said
the association was urging federal agencies to address critical shortages of
contracting officials within key federal and state agencies overseeing stimulus
construction dollars.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>He added that the Administration needs to fully and
finally clarify reporting and Buy American requirements included in the
stimulus, noting many federal and state agencies are having difficulty
interpreting the new mandates. And he urged everyone involved with the stimulus
to set proper expectations for what the stimulus will, and will not, be able to
do for the economy.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>\"Unsustainably high expectations can bring down good
policy and great programs,\" Sandherr said.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>\"The stimulus will keep our industry alive, but it
will not turn around a trillion dollar construction industry overnight.\"</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The stimulus analysis released today was based in part of
a survey almost</p>
<p>1,000 construction firms nationwide conducted by the
Associated General Contractors of America over the past three weeks. The survey
results were combined with the association\'s analysis of federal and state
agency stimulus activities, and a review of employment data from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>";s:10:"category_0";s:1:"4";s:10:"category_1";s:2:"65";}