Young leaders roundup feature article — Nov. 28

Over the last seven weeks, Construction Dive has spoken with 10 emerging professionals about how they got into construction, their career goals and what they think the industry could be doing better or differently to encourage more young people to enter the field. In our feature article on Monday, Nov. 28, we share what the next generation of construction leaders wants you to know.

Sports construction roundup feature article — Nov. 29

Americans love their sports teams, and on game day, fans fill stadiums, arenas and ballparks across the country. To draw in even more spectators and give surrounding neighborhoods shopping, dining and other commercial options, owners are building newer, more community-connected venues. In our feature article on Tuesday, Nov. 29, we'll track the progress of the latest and greatest sports facilities under construction — some just beginning and others nearing completion.

Pending home sales — Nov. 30

The National Association of Realtors will release pending home sales data for October on Wednesday, Nov. 30. September's gains were driven by strong demand in the South and West, but tight inventory conditions nationwide continues to push prices up. That's making buying increasingly difficult for the group that the market most needs to shift from renting to homeownership: first-time buyers in their late 20s and early 30s.

First-timers had a good showing in October's strong existing home sales report released last week. Will this week's data show more promise in the pipeline? 

Labor shortage feature article — Dec. 1

Construction industry players have long warned of the detrimental effects of the skilled labor shortage, and contractors have consistently reported that they're having difficulty finding enough workers to keep up with demand. However, recent reports have put a spin on the worker shortfall — the public sector might not have enough demand for their current workers unless federal, state and local projects pick up steam.

In our feature article on Thursday, Dec. 1, we'll explore the differences in the labor market between the private and public sectors, and we'll find out if the experts have any new predictions for what's next in the construction employment situation.

Construction spending — Dec. 1

The Commerce Department will release October construction spending results on Thursday, Dec. 1. Last month, the department announced spending dropped 0.4% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.15 trillion

Private nonresidential and public construction both saw significant declines in September. Although the month's overall spending figure was 0.2% below September 2015, spending in the first nine months of 2016 was still 4.4% higher than the same period last year.

Will Thursday's report show that spending bounced back in October, or will decreasing activity continue through the end of 2016?