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273,000: A blockbuster number for the February jobs report

The number, coming before the coronavirus outbreak intensified, crushed expectations.
Unemployment fell back to 3.5% in February.
Pixabay

Mild winter and revamp investments boost Home Depot

Feb 25, 2020
Home Depot posted better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter.
Home Depot reported better than expected sales and profits, partly due to a mild winter.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Homebuilders still need more workers

Feb 18, 2020
"The labor shortage continues to be the number one issue for homebuilders," one economist said.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Meet Rocio, 24, construction worker

Feb 18, 2020
The Bureau of Labor Statistics would categorize Rocio’s job most broadly as “natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations.” One in 10 workers work jobs in that category.
Ben Hethcoat

What happens when a robot can lay bricks?

Jan 23, 2020
The story of how a small band of inventors and engineers built a machine that could lay bricks. It's way harder than it sounds.
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The rise of the high-rise

Jan 21, 2020
As more and more people want the amenities of urban living, there's nowhere to build but up.
At 44 stories, Baltimore's new 414 Light Street is the tallest apartment building in Maryland.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

Wage gains have slowed, but some sectors are still hot

Oct 31, 2019
The Labor Department's October jobs report is expected to show a sharp slowing in job creation in a still-tight labor market.
Construction is one of the industries that has seen wages increase.
Julian Herbert/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Housing starts dip for the third straight month

Aug 16, 2019
But they're up compared to a year ago.
A construction worker builds the frame for a new home in Rodeo, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Does a dip in construction spending indicate an economic slowdown?

Aug 1, 2019
Construction spending fell more than a percentage point in June, the second drop in two months.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Will the housing shortage ever end?

Jun 25, 2019
A decade after the housing bust, new construction has been slow to recover.
A construction worker carries lumber as he builds a new home in Petaluma, California, in 2015.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images