Abstract
Important statistics concerning trends in the United States construction industry were presented in The Construction Chart Book, produced by the Center to Protect Workers' Rights under the supervision of the Economics Research Network and Technical Advisory Board. Data, obtained from various public and private sources, were presented in 44 sets of charts. Small companies were found to predominate in the construction industry. Of all the construction companies compiled, 82% had less than ten employees. However, small construction companies employed only 30% of the workforce. Business failure rates were higher in the construction industry than in other industries. The employment structure of the construction industry was found to be complex. Because the demographic profile of the construction workforce was continuously changing, legal, regulatory, and organizational institutions needed to be adaptable to new types of workers and skill levels. The skills needed for some types of construction work were undergoing radical changes because of new technologies. In order to keep up with advancing technology and maintain craft specific skills, the construction industry needed to focus more attention on vocational education. Union programs continued to be involved in the development of the skilled workforce. Although work related injury rates in the construction industry decreased in recent years, average injury rates were about 50% higher in the construction industry than in all private industries. Thus, more efforts were needed to reduce injury rates in the construction industry, especially in small and medium sized firms. Important gaps in construction industry research included construction worker classification and counting; productivity measures; business conditions; wages, fringe benefits, and hours worked; employment; occupational injuries and illnesses; workers' compensation; and occupational safety and health costs. The authors conclude that The Construction Chart Book may serve as an important tool for improving productivity and work life quality in the construction industry.