Bureau of Labor Statistics
U.S. Workforce Shrinks by More Than 1 Million as Labor-Force Participation Hits Post-Pandemic Low
The share of Americans working or looking for work fell to its lowest level since the pandemic in July, as retirements, tighter immigration...
Portland Posts Nation’s Second-Largest Job Loss as Seattle Stalls and Pacific Northwest Unemployment Climbs
Portland shed 25,700 jobs over the year ending June 2026 — the second-steepest decline of any U.S. metropolitan area — while Seattle managed...
Labor Force Participation Sinks to 61.5%, a 50-Year Low as Prime-Age Workers Exit
A sweeping retreat from the U.S. workforce pushed labor force participation to its lowest level in half a century outside the pandemic, with...
Portland Construction Costs Rise Just 0.86 Percent in Q1 2026 as Market Trails National Escalation
Portland’s nonresidential construction costs increased a modest 0.86 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and 2.55 percent year-over-year—the slowest annual escalation among...
Trade Partners Cut Fees to Win Work as Seattle Construction Costs Rise Just 0.56 Percent in Q1 2026
Seattle nonresidential construction costs rose just 0.56 percent in the first quarter of 2026—the smallest quarterly increase among the eight metropolitan markets Mortenson...
Cooling Labor Market Reshapes Apartment Demand While Other CRE Sectors Hold Firm
Slowing job creation and falling workforce participation among young adults are postponing rental demand, but office, retail, and industrial properties show resilience to...
March’s Jobs Report and the Art of Misdirection
Behind the rosy March employment headline, a quiet exodus: nearly 400,000 Americans gave up on the job market in a single month. By...
Architecture Firms Close Out 2025 With Billings in Decline for 12th Consecutive Month
The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index registered 48.5 in December as project delays, stalled work, and cancellations weigh on the industry heading into 2026....
Data Center Construction Boom Fuels Surge in Temporary Worker Camps Across Rural America
As AI infrastructure pushes into remote regions of Texas and Louisiana, housing thousands of construction workers has become one of the industry’s most...
Wells Fargo Forecasts Sharp February Payroll Slowdown as January Jobs Surge Fades
The blockbuster January jobs number was likely a mirage, per the assessment of economists at Wells Fargo Economics, who are projecting nonfarm payroll...
Portland Nonresidential Construction Costs Rise 0.32 Percent in Q4 2025, Among Lowest of Major U.S. Markets
Mortenson’s latest cost index places Portland well below the national average as stable labor and competitive bidding temper escalation pressures heading into 2026...
Seattle Nonresidential Construction Costs Post Smallest Quarterly Gain Nationally at 0.3 Percent in Q4 2025
Competitive bidding, reduced activity in office and healthcare, and steady labor supply kept cost escalation at the low end of Mortenson’s eight-market index ...
