Stephen Sandherr, CEO of Associated General Contractors (AGC), Arlington, Va., expects the construction business to improve in 2013. “While the outlook for the construction industry appears to be heading in the right direction for 2013, many firms are still grappling with significant economic headwinds,” said Sandherr in a news release. “With luck and a lot of work, the hard-hit construction industry should be larger, healthier, more technologically savvy and more profitable by the end of 2013 than it is today.”
Sandherr noted that significantly more firms are planning to add staff this year compared to the number of firms expecting to make layoffs. He said that 31 percent of firms plan to add staff this year, while only 9 percent plan to make layoffs this year. The scope of those staff additions are likely to be modest, however, with 79 percent of firms reporting they plan to hire 15 or fewer people in 2013 and only 13 percent planning to hire more than 25 new workers this year.
To see more results from the new AGC study, Tentative Signs of a Recovery: The 2013 Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook, click here.