The number of new home constructions in the U.S. has marginally fallen in November. This only reflects the weakness in single-family home construction. According to the Commerce Department’s report, builders began construction in November at an annual rate that is seasonally adjusted at 1.03 million apartments and homes. This showed a 1.6% decline from October’s 1.7% gain in construction activity.

The weakness observed on November has resulted due to a 5.4% fall in single-family home construction, that has offset the 6.7% rise in the apartment sector which is more volatile in nature. There was also a notable fall of 5.2% in building permit applications as it settled to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.04 million. The housing sector is expected to regain momentum in the year 2015, as the analysts believe that increase in employment will trigger home sales.

It is the opinion of economists that the November decline in the construction sector is not a very good news but is partially caused due to the extreme snowy weather in most parts of the nation. November 2014 was the coldest in 14 years.

One of the senior economists at BMO Capital Markets, Jennifer Lee, observed that the construction activity in October had been revised by 3.6% and the construction activity in September, October and November had crossed the 1-million mark. She remarked that easier lending standards, low mortgage rates and strong job growth will act as supporting pillars for the housing sector.

If you are looking for an efficient recruiting firm for construction recruitment services, contact Construction Hunters. Our construction executive recruiters will help you find the right job that will suit your requirements.

Based on the Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) latest report, there has been significant growth in construction last month and is a good sign of the construction industry’s recovery. The Chief Economist of ABC, Anirban Basu, opines that nonresidential construction has added approximately 5000 jobs in the month of November, giving a positive outlook to the industry’s growth.

The Nonresidential Construction Contribution:

On an overall basis the U.S. construction industry has added a total of 20,000 jobs in the month of November, of which 4,900 have been contributed by the nonresidential construction, reveals the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its preliminary estimate (on December 5th). Here, it can also be noted that the “greatest constraint on nonresidential job growth may no longer be a lack of demand for construction services, but rather a lack of supply of sufficiently skilled workers”, says Basu.

Further Basu observes that the industry wage pressures may expand in 2015 due to combined factors of tighter labor markets and a rise in demand for human capital, “perhaps to the extent that margins will be rendered too thin for many firms, even in the face of rising demand for services”.

He notices that it is the seasonal factors that the national construction unemployment rate has expanded from 6.4% to 7.5% in November on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. In this respect Basu says, “The construction unemployment rate has historically expanded during the colder months of the year, and November’s figure should not be seen as a cause for concern”.

The Construction Industry Snapshot:

• The following lines summarize the construction industry’s condition in the previous year.
• The residential building construction employment expanded in November by 3400 jobs and presently stands at 47,300 jobs (7.5%) annually
• The nonresidential building construction employment fell ‘for the month’ by 2400 jobs but then rose by 9500 jobs (1.4%) post November 2013
• The residential specialty trade contractors added 13,300 jobs in the month of November and in total have added 75,500 jobs (4.8%) post November 2013
• The nonresidential specialty trade contractors have added 7300 jobs ‘for the month’ with the employment category going up by 47,400 jobs (2.2%) since the same time a year ago.

Despite the market’s improvement, the construction industry has not been able to rebound to its previous levels (pre-recession). But the ‘new normal’ gives the hope of a positive outlook in the future.

Construction Hunters offers exclusive construction jobs in Chicago and other parts of North America. Contact us to know more about our executive construction recruiting service in Chicago.

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research along with Jobs for the Future has highlighted through a news report the efforts made by Oregon to improve the gender diversity prevalent in highway construction trades. The news report also notes that there are other states in the U.S. that make use of federal dollars to entice more women to build careers in heavy highway construction.

Effective Use of Federal Funds:

The percentage of females in Oregon who are in construction industry apprenticeships roughly amount to double the national average number. According to the report, named “Untapped Resources, Untapped Labor Pool: Using Federal Highway Funds to Prepare Women for Careers in Construction”, takes Maryland and Oregon as case studies that use federal highway funding for building sustainable pathways so that women can enter the arena of skilled construction careers.

Labor Commissioner, Brad Avakinan, opined that “Oregon’s experience shows that we can attract more women and people of color into well-paying construction careers if we commit to removing barriers to apprenticeship opportunities”.

Post 2009- The Comparison:

For supporting the apprentices, Oregon’s efforts include providing transportation assistance, funding pre-apprenticeship programs, child care, mentorship services and work expenses such as clothing or tools. It has also been highlighted in the report that post 2009, only 6% of total Oregon’s women of color population who have received these services, decide to cancel their apprenticeships, in comparison to the 39% who have their apprenticeship canceled as they don’t receive any support. 23% of the white population don’t end their apprenticeships in comparison to 16% who receive the supportive services and still end their apprenticeships.

The National Skilled Labor Requirement:

On a national level, women add up to fewer than 3% of total construction workers, representing a key labor pool which can assist construction contractors to meet hiring requirements due to the fact that many of the skilled workers are close to their retirement age.

It is also highlighted in the report how other states can use federal dollars for increasing diversity and meeting the skill requirements of highway construction workforce. Oregon and Maryland have both, locked in one portion of their states’ ‘federal construction funds’ (allocated in 23 USC Section 504(e) ) for increasing highway construction workforce diversity.

Form above, it is clear that women workforce is necessary in the construction industry of United States.

Contact Construction Hunters @ 214-935-3626 for construction jobs in New Jersey, USA.

Event Risk Gets a Permanent Place:

The fact that investors move in a sequence form ‘core’ to ‘opportunistic’ is no longer new to interviewees, but the 2015 trend will see this distinction being heightened with the passage of time, as noted by the interviewees. This is because of the fact that the interviewees are disturbed by several ‘event risk’ subjects such as natural disasters, geopolitical risks and global unrest. This is also the reason why increase in investment volume in the year 2015 is mostly dependent on international investors as they are considered to be the most attractive prospect for the same, reports the survey.

More Intensity in the Technology-Real Estate Relationship:

Not a single reals estate form is exempted from technology’s exponential expansion. According to interviewees, technological disruption may be responsible for paving new business environments and tools, cycling forward as user demand source and opening new paths for business at a time when maximum traditional industries are getting sluggish. Today, technology is accelerating change in locations, demand levels and space use.

The present day norm includes strategizing, anticipating and responding to new technologies prior to them going mainstream. In an overall basis, the fear and apprehension related to technological disruption is lowering, as told by the surveyed respondents. For example, crowdfunding and e-commerce are now being viewed as adaptation challenge, especially as the retailers have become “omnichannel distributors” and the e-tailers have started opening brick-and-mortar stores.

Keeping Track of the Emerging Concerns:

There is also a dark side to the positive emerging real estate trends for 2015. Although, it is true that up-cycles yield optimism, but too much of optimism may be responsible for bad investment patterns. Nevertheless, excess leverage and overbuilding in most cycles have, in all probability, initiated momentum building by this time. The real estate industry seems to have learned lessons on self-correction and self-regulation.

The Significance of Housing:

The real estate residential trend, as observed by the interviewees, seems to be going back to the principles of demand and supply. With this major segment of economy returning to classic fundamentals, it is assumed that confidence in residential sector will continue to rise.

So, now that you have a clear picture of what the trends in real estate might be in 2015, you can make a wise investment in this industry.

The emerging trends in real estate for the year 2015 has unfolded and is inclusive of survey responses and interviews from several real estate experts such as developers, investors, lenders, property company representatives, consultants and brokers. Check out the trends predicted for 2015.

Changes in Renting and Homeownership:

Although, the millenials will continue to opt for rented apartments and postpone homeownership, affecting the apartment sector for many years to come, several survey interviewees opine that investors need to study how the millenials will change their housing preferences in the 2020s. The report also anticipates that the emerging smaller “Generation Z” will result in industry changes. As the real estate industry prepares itself for the 2020s, it must plan for a country with fewer new consumers, smaller number of workforce entrants and lesser household formation. Another important point noted in the report is that baby boomers (as retirees and workers) will not cease to create impact on investment and development of the real estate industry for the coming two decades.

Emergence of The 18-hour City:

As America continues to urbanize, it becomes the place of origin for many cities that were labeled as nine-to-five. Interviewees say that the concept of being alive round the clock all through the week including weekends, is not restricted to coastal cities alone. Today, downtowns have transformed and is a combination of key ingredients such as retail, housing, walk-to-work and dining. All this has resulted in generation of urban cores, spurring development and investment as well as rise in the quality of lifestyle that can match the roster of cities. More market options are now available for buyers as the 18-hour centers are including elements to rachet up the flow of investment capital.

Job Growth will Gain Prominence:

It is also stated in the report that the forward-looking business enterprises are now realizing that during the time they were worrying about ‘jobless recovery’, the long-term labor market trends kept moving the opposite direction. The highest point for millennial labor force entrants is long gone while retirements are due to accelerate. As a few years pass by, talks will center around labor shortages instead of surpluses. The labor market’s primary rule will become “jobs are chasing people”. Survey respondents have placed job growth at number one in the list containing issues for real estate, with concerns of wage and income growth in second position.

We’ll be back with more on real estate trends to expect in 2015.

If the Chinese zodiac calendar was flexible, 2015 could well be the Year of the Skyscraper, with ten new buildings over 1,100 feet in height set to open before the end of the year. But innovative designs are being carried out closer to the ground as well. Here’s our handy guide to some of the most interesting buildings slated for completion next year.

Read more here.

Where does our expertise lies?

We are full service Search and Recruiting firm and we specialize in catering to the recruitment needs across Executive levels in industries of construction, architecture, engineering, and real estate. We work in tandem with the fact that this industry is a fast paced and dynamic one and that time plays a very crucial role. This has helped us in driving successful recruitments for reputed client organizations over the years. Our seasoned team members guide our clients through each and every step of the talent acquisition process. Be it identifying, attracting or retaining talent, we provide efficient and effective service to our clients. The core values of professionalism, ethics, empathy and commitment are deeply rooted in our organization and is the primary reason for our successful endeavors.

How are our services different from that of our peers?

Identification of top quality talent within a short time period is not possible without a strong network and an available candidate pool. Often, it is found that the right candidates are not the ones who actively seek for new job opportunities. The success of a recruitment firm lies in spotting and identifying those able candidates whose resumes are not readily available for consideration. Our years of experience has helped us create strong bonds within the industry. Our network steers us in the right direction whenever an urgent requirement comes along and hence we are able to close most vacancies within a short time period. We are considered to be trustworthy since we maintain confidentiality guidelines for both employees and the employers. It is our constant endeavor to project only those candidates as prospective employees to our client organizations who would stick to the same. This is reflected in the 92 per cent retention rate at the two year mark. We provide services on both, contingent and retained basis and stand by our client till the recruitment process is complete.

Our Services in the sector of Building Construction Project Executive Recruitment

Recruitment for Project Executives is a very interesting yet challenging task and we daresay that we excel in it. The real estate industry abides by strict deadlines in spite of any delay occurring along the way. It is the job of the project executive to tide over all crisis and guide the project to completion within the stipulated time period. They oversee the project and performs the dual duty of looking over the project team and handling business considerations. Hence, apart from technical knowledge, project executives also need to posses a sharp business acumen and quick decision making ability. While fulfilling their responsibility, they need to imbibe in and align themselves with the organization’s goals.

Our years of experience has empowered us with the knowledge of what it takes to succeed as a project executive and we screen candidates accordingly. We have a well defined set of qualifiers which helps us assess the candidates. Among others, we stress on –

• Organizational and team management skills
• Relevant experience in project management
• Business acumen
• Flexibility and ability to handle stressful situation
• Listening and motivational skills

This selection process is responsible for catapulting us to the forefront as one of the most trusted Project Executive Recruiters.

Services offered by Construction Hunters

Construction Hunters is a full service Executive Search and Recruiting firm specializing in Executive level recruitment needs in the construction, architecture, engineering, and real estate industries. Our team comprises of experienced professionals who are adept in carrying out all phases of the talent acquisition process. Be it identifying, attracting or retaining the top talent available in the industry, we assist our clients in every step. The core values of professionalism, ethics, empathy and commitment are deeply rooted in our organization culture and is reflected in each and every team member.

Why are we renowned as executive recruitment professionals?

Extensive experience in this field plays is essential to succeed as executive recruitment professionals. Our seasoned team members are experts at scouring for the right candidates and in convincing them to take up the job on behalf of our clients. Our years od experience in this sector has enabled us to build a strong and dynamic network with the top performers in the industry. We believe that the best candidates are the ones who are not actively looking for jobs. It is our responsibility to reach out to these talented individuals on the behalf of our clients. Our focus is to build a candidate pool especially when we are not actively looking at closing a requirement and hence, we are able to fill the vacancies within the shortest possible amount of time when the need arises.

Why is it that we offer that others don’t?

Achieving hundred per cent client satisfaction is what motivates us the most. We are happy to have added the most reputed names in the industry to our list of satisfied clientele. The reason why we have been able to amass this huge client base is because we strictly adhere to a few guidelines like maintaining complete confidentiality for both the employer and the prospective employee. Our experienced team members try their best to assess which candidates are more likely to stick around and this is reflected in the retention rate of 92 per cent at the two year mark. We work on both, retained and contingent basis and do not consider our job done till it translates into a successful hire and the candidate joins our client organization as an employee.

Our Services in the area of recruitment in architecture executive

We firmly believe that an architecture executive should possess expertise in the field of both, the design domain and management capabilities. This is a niche segment and there is a huge demand for talented individuals all across the industry. Our candidate pool and network helps us in this process of finding the perfect candidate for all requirements, be it for the designations of project architect or design architect or be it for the post of interior design director. We are committed to help you find the right candidate for your job and our screening process is aligned with your business needs.

The process of scouring for the best employees in any industry is far from being a cakewalk. As an executive recruitment firm, we have faced several challenges over the years and our experience has enabled us to acquire the knowledge of resolving such issues quickly. Recent times have seen a spurt in the demand of web and graphic designers and new media specialists in the construction sector. Most organizations have included social media in their marketing plans and are attempting to woo prospective clients through their online presence. One needs to keep in mind that all employees in the construction industry, especially the ones hired for technical positions, requires in-depth knowledge. Moreover technology keeps evolving at a rapid pace and a professional in this field needs to constantly imbibe in the advancements in their respective field. Here are a few methods which recruiters can employ to make the process simpler.

Past work experience

At the executive level, it is imperative that you need to look at the previous work experience and work samples of the prospective candidate. There are several means to carry out these pre-screening process. Check if the candidate has a website of his/her own and if the portfolio is updated on that website. Proper reference checks mandatory since it casts an insight into whether the prospective employees are adept at carrying out their functions properly or not. Word-of-mouth referrals from your network can also come in handy. This is a good time to refect on the advantages of building a good network. Network with people especially when you are not looking out actively for a specific requirement. That way you will not need to reach out to strangers when you need help urgently.Your network can steer you in the right direction in case the need arises.

Social Media

A person’s social media profile speak volumes about the type of person he or she is. Apart from the professional network of LinkedIn, the platforms of Facebook and Twitter also lead you to the right people. The testimonials on LinkedIn are particularly helpful while recruiting. Specific sites like DevianArt is a haven for designers, illustrators and photographers and is a ready pool of potential candidates for you.

Simple Internet Search

Since all new media professionals are adept at marketing themselves through online media, simple google searches will also yield relevant results for you.

These tips would definitely go a long way in making this process of executive recruiting for technical jobs in the construction industry relatively simpler.

Like every other profession, being a construction project manager too involves the basic criteria of education, training and relevant experience.This is fast paced industry and operates on strict deadlines. Hence, inherent qualities of leadership, sharp business acumen, prompt decision making skills go a long way in contributing towards being a successful construction project manager. Project manager recruiters assess candidates based on these skills too.

The job of a Construction Project Manager

A construction project manager essentially needs to possess a fair mix of both, engineering and management skills. Your job in this sphere would entail you to interact with and mange a team that includes both, laborers and engineers. You would also have to handle finances and allocate proper budget for various tasks like buying equipments necessary to complete projects. You have to be adept in the process of effort estimation since that is very essential for meeting deadlines. As a project manager, you also would need to set work schedules and coordinate projects. You will be responsible for ensuring that safety precautions against probable hazards are in place and would need to act quickly in case any such unfortunate situation arises. Risk management is one other important responsibility in your job role and you would need to take adequate steps to mitigate all risk factors involved.

Education

Various colleges offer a bachelors degree in the field of construction science and management. Since this is a niche field, specialized education is becoming all the more important and are candidates with such degrees are being preferred by employers. The course covers all aspects of building science along with project management skills like cost estimation and contract administration. A few universities also offer a master’s degree in this field.

Practical knowledge

However, there is no substitute for real-world experience and it is mandatory over and above classroom education. In fact, a simple high school diploma holder can also become a construction project manager after several years of working in this field. On the job learning is of utmost importance in the construction industry.

Training

The general practice is to train all new construction managers as assistants under the guidance of an experienced manager. The duration of this training period may vary from several months to several years too. Imbibe as much as you can during your training period since it would most certainly come of use when you are solely responsible for driving a project to successful completion.

Inculcate the key skills of being a good project manager

Be it time-management skills or conversation and convincing skills, you can proactively groom yourself for the same. You would need to have the foresight to predict what might go wrong and employ measures to eradicate such possibilities. There can be various unforeseen challenges in the field too and for that one needs to possess basic problem-solving ability and analytical skills. As an executive level person in the construction industry, it is imperative that you are acquainted with all construction methods and technologies. In-depth knowledge in this field often comes handy.

Building Construction Project Manager Recruiters place a great deal of importance on all of the aforementioned factors during the recruitment process.