“The construction industry has yet to move from a hesitant up-and-down pattern to more sustained expansion,” stated Robert A. Murray, Vice President of Economic Affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction.

“After plunging 23 percent in 2009, new construction starts edged up only 1 percent in 2010 and were unchanged in 2011, so the modest 2-percent increase predicted for 2012 is really more of the same. The backdrop for the construction industry remains the fragile U.S. economy, which continues to see slow employment growth, diminished funding from federal and state governments, and the uncertainty related to the U.S. fiscal stalemate and the European debt crisis. Read full story at CE News