Welcome to our Construction Industry News page, where we bring you the latest updates on mergers and acquisitions, key new hires, and significant industry shifts. Stay informed with breaking news and in-depth reporting to keep up with the fast-paced changes shaping the construction business.

PLANO, Texas (July 23, 2020)—Hilti North America announced a new innovation that is more connected to its customers than any tool of its time, the EXO-O1 wearable exoskeleton. Hilti’s new human augmentation device will help commercial contractors, tradesman and management alike tackle health and safety as well as labor shortage challenges.

WASHINGTON (August 3, 2020)—National nonresidential construction spending declined 0.2% in June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the United States Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, spending totaled $812.9 billion for the month.

WASHINGTON (July 22, 2020)—Demand for design services from architecture firms began to stabilize in June, following their peak declines in April, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (July 22, 2020) — Autodesk, Inc. announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pype, a provider of cloud-based solutions for automating construction project management workflows.

Birmingham, Ala. (July 20, 2020)—Construction Business Owner, the leading business magazine for contractors, is pleased to announce a free webinar presented in partnership with AvidXchange.

The live, online event, “5 Tips to Protect Your Construction Business Against Financial Fraud” will take place Aug. 20, 2020, at 2 p.m. EDT, and will cover how to recognize and prevent common types of fraud attacks.

NATIONAL (July 17, 2020)—Construction employment increased from May to June in 31 states and the District of Columbia, but the gains may have stalled, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released and a 

WASHINGTON (July 21, 2020)—As a result of the partially shutdown economy, businesses and organizations will continue to be hesitant to invest in modernized or new facilities, according to a mid-year update to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Consensus Construction Forecast. The trend ends an almost decade-long expansion in construction spending.

NEW JERSEY (July 16, 2020)—Total construction starts increased 6% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $641.4 billion. This marks the second consecutive monthly gain in construction starts following the COVID-19 induced declines in March and April. In June nonresidential building starts gained 6% and starts in the nonbuilding sector moved 27% higher. Residential starts, by contrast, fell 6% during the month.

WASHINGTON—Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.1 months in June, an increase of 0.2 months from May’s reading. CBI is down approximately 8% from its June 2019 level. Every region except the Middle States experienced an increase in backlog in June compared to May, according to an ABC member survey conducted from June 20-July 1.

NEWTON, Massachusetts–Proposal activity for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms sank to its lowest quarterly level in over a decade in the second quarter of 2020, as the coronavirus-related downturn trimmed backlog and reduced revenue for firms coast to coast.