On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey compiles highlights from the recent Construction Economy Outlook Spring 2024 titled “What is Normal Anymore?” and held online on May 9.
The webinar, presented by ConstructConnect, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) featured ConstructConnect chief economist Alex Carrick and senior economist Michael Guckes, AGC chief economist Ken Simonson, AIA chief economist Kermit Baker and ConstructConnect vice-president of content acquisition Morgan Stinson and vice-president of product marketing Paul Hart.
Baker looked at recent trends in construction activity as well as the outlook for this year and into 2025 and Simonson examined construction employment as well as material and labour costs and how much the industry is spending.
Stinson gave an overview of bidding trends seen in ConstructConnect’s data and Guckes took a look at the summer starts forecast for construction, as well as project stresses and the continued influence of interest rates on the economy.
Finally, Carrick did a deep dive on how demographic changes are shaping the economies of both Canada and the United States, as well as how upcoming elections in both countries could affect the construction industry and overall economy.
You can listen to our recent interviews from the Vancouver Island Construction Association annual conference here and our episodes are available at the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites, on Libsyn and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Thanks for listening.