In 2022, around 1.29 million women worked in construction in the United States, accounting for 10.97% of the industry, according to the 2022 American Community Survey. Within the construction industry, women are more likely to be found in such occupations as office and administrative support, management, business, and financial operations. Only 2.8% of women in…
Despite high interest rates, job growth accelerated in May, but the unemployment rate increased to 4.0%. Overall, the labor market remains strong, but there are signs of slowing, which signals monetary policy easing in the months ahead. Additionally, wage growth accelerated for the first time in four months. In May, wages grew at a 4.1%…
According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased by 7 basis points (bps) in May 2024, reaching 7.06%, up from 6.99% the previous month. This represents a 64 bps increase from the previous year, when it stood at 6.34%. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also saw an increase, rising 8 bps from April 2024,…
Despite higher mortgage rates, limited resale inventory and strong growth in demand continued to put upward pressure on house prices. House price appreciation was recorded in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. According to the quarterly all-transactions House Price Index (HPI) released by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), U.S. house prices rose…
The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume by Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly survey, has been hovering around 200 since October 2022 as higher mortgage rates and low resale inventory continue to hamper potential buyers. On a week-over-week change, total mortgage, purchasing, and refinancing activities decreased 5.2%, 4.4% and 6.8%, respectively,…
Due to tightened monetary policy, the count of open jobs for the economy and construction is declining, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). This is consistent with a somewhat cooler economy, which is a positive sign for future inflation readings. In April, the number of open jobs for…
Fueled by a lack of existing inventory and pent-up demand, single-family permit growth is occurring across all tracked geographic regions of the nation. The opposite holds true for the multifamily sector, according to the latest findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) for the first quarter of 2024….
