FMI: Rising Nonresidential Construction Index comes with struggles

The Nonresidential Construction Index from FMI rose two points in Q1. This normally is a positive economic sign. But construction companies are facing the challenge of having enough people to keep up with increasing backlogs. The engineering and construction executives that comprise the NRCI panel are strongly optimistic about both the economy and their businesses. The diffusion indexes for the overall economy and the geographic economies where individual panelists do business rose more than six points, reaching 78. The report discusses owners’ views on expectations for 2015 Construction Put In Place, top business challenges for 2015 and employment trends. Lack of a skilled workforce was among the top concerns. To read the full report, click here for a downloadable PDF.