According to a recent report by the Associated General Contractors of America, hiring for construction workers increased in 149 metropolitan areas in the last year. Among the locations that are seeing growth are the Austin, Dallas, Houston, Chicago and Cincinnati metropolitan areas.

On the other hand, the report also notes that some metropolitan areas are experiencing huge losses in construction jobs – such as the layoffs taking place in the Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and New York City areas.

According to Ken Simonson, the Chief Economist at the Associated General Contractors of America, the disparity in hiring can be attributed to different building trends in the private and public sectors.

“A lot of metro areas appear to be benefiting from growing demand from the private sector for new construction,” he told the Construction Magazine Network. “Declining public sector demand is clearly taking a toll on just as many metro areas, however.”

Construction Disputes

Although the growth in metropolitan areas is good news for the construction industry, it can also cause construction disputes among stakeholders such as contractors, subcontractors and investors. The most common reasons for legal disputes in the construction industry include:

• delays with a project
• work interruptions during a project
• contracts that have not been drafted properly
• defective materials
• conflicts between contractors and subcontractors
• changing the scope of the work after a project has begun
• environmental problems
• payment issues

If you are involved in a construction dispute, you don’t have to navigate the legal issues alone. By contacting an experienced construction litigation attorney, you can be advised of your rights and given the assistance you need with any court case that arises from the dispute.