The nation鈥檚 construction sector added 24,000 net new jobs in November, representing a 0.3 percent month-over-month increase, according to ABC鈥檚 analysis regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics鈥� data. Nonresidential construction employment added 8,600 net new jobs in November, a figure that would have been substantially higher were it not for heavy and civil engineering, which lost 7,800 for the month.

The majority of commercial and industrial contractors are confident about sales growth, profits and staffing levels heading into 2018, according to the latest Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Construction Confidence Index (CCI). Despite rising construction labor and materials costs, 55 percent of contractors expect their profit margins to expand in the first half of 2018.

The U.S. Senate passed sweeping tax reform legislation on Dec. 2, overcoming a number of setbacks over the course of a long week.听 The effort to win over holdouts and cobble together the necessary votes led to a number of late-breaking changes to the bill, culminating in what was essentially a party line vote, with Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) as the only dissenting Republican.听

Nonresidential construction spending rose 2.1 percent in October, totaling $717.6 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to ABC鈥檚 analysis of data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The level of spending, however, remains virtually unchanged from a year ago.

In its survey of Florida construction firms for the third quarter of 2017, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) finds the confidence to fill open positions over the next six months remains low. Continued hurricane rebuilding efforts will likely exacerbate the challenge to find enough skilled labor in Florida to meet the level of project demand. Confidence in other areas of the survey remains high.

On Nov. 29, President Trump delivered a strong defense of reducing the tax burden on businesses of all sizes in his 鈥淏ring Back Main Street鈥� Speech in St. Charles, Mo. He urged Congress to push tax reform across the finish line as the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on their version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this week.

On Nov. 28, The Senate Budget Committee voted to advance S.1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on a party line vote of 11-10. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) voted to send the bill to the Senate floor after originally withholding their support.

On Nov. 13, the U.S. Senate began the first day of an expected four-day process to amend and approve their version of tax reform legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on their version of the bill on Thursday, Nov. 15. If both chambers pass their respective bills, conferees will be designated to negotiate an agreement between the House and Senate versions, which currently include a number of significant differences.听

A听new study听from the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) for Public Policy Research shows the economy and the construction industry would benefit if Congress passed the Public Building Renewal Act (PBRA).

Any additional dollar that can stay in a construction company's cash flow can be invested in hiring and retaining talented workers. That was one of the messages 老牛影视President and CEO Mike Bellaman conveyed this week during two live Fox Business Network appearances, as the House Ways and Means Committee unveiled a bill that reforms the tax code.听