Vol. 23, No. 14 April 10-14, 2023PPI for inputs slips in March despite numerous increases; RLB finds wide range in costs by metro   Construction input prices dip  The producer price index (PPI) for material and service inputs to new nonresidential construction edged down 0.1% in March and 1.1% year-over-year (y/y), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data posted on Thursday… Read more Breakdown of construction costs  From January 2022 to January 2023, “the national average increase in construction cost was 8.1%,” consultancy Rider Levett Bucknall reported on Tuesday, based on its research… Read more Women in construction occupations  There were 66,220 women-owned construction business in 2020, the Census Bureau posted on April 4. There were 164,377 women or 3.0% of the 5.49 million total full-time, year-round employees in construction and extraction occupations in 2021, according to American Community Survey (ACS) data Census posted on April 5… Read more Foreign born workers in construction workforce“Immigrants make [up] one in four construction workers,” the National Association of Home Builders reported on April 6, based on its analysis of 2021 ACS data… Read more Impact of population growth on construction employment BLS economist Andrew Mattingly documented the impact of population growth on construction employment in “Do you want to work where the people are? These jobs are most common in areas with high (or low) population growth,” posted on Monday… Read more AGC’s highway work zone survey is openHighway contractors are invited to complete AGC’s annual highway work zone safety survey by May 12. Responses will be kept confidential… Read more