Your inside source for real estate, development and construction information serving the counties of Mecklenburg, Union & Iredell VOLUME 97 NUMBER 109 ■ MECKTIMES.COM
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The Great Hiring Bounceback Page 2
Bidding Wars at Lowest Level Since 2020 Page 3
Remote Work Will Fuel Housing Demand for Years Page 4
BBB Study Finds Job Scams Increased During Pandemic Page 4
New Homebuyers Mortgages Rising 67% Faster Than Rents Page 4
Brilliance Creates a Company; Structure Runs It Page 5
The Art (and Science) of a Prototyping Business Page 7
Third Of Metro Areas Lost Construction Jobs in Past Year; Fate of Infrastructure Bill Unclear Nearly one-third of U.S. metro areas lost construction jobs between August 2020 and August 2021, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials noted that the job losses are occurring as the fate of a bipartisan infrastructure bill that would boost demand for construction remains uncertain in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“While construction activity has rebounded from pandemic lows in many metros, the recovery is fragile,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Extreme production and delivery delays, along with continuing high materials costs, may lead to project cancellations and postponements that cut into job gains.” Construction employment declined from a year earlier in 65 metros and held steady in 37. New York City lost the most
jobs (-8,600 jobs or -6 percent), followed by Nassau County-Suffolk County, N.Y. (-5,100 jobs, -6 percent); Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. (-3,200 jobs, -6 percent); Calvert-Charles-Prince George’s, Md. (-2,400 jobs, -7 percent) and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (-2,300 jobs, -1 percent). The largest percentage declines were in Evansville, Ind.-Ky. (-14 percent,
PLEASE SEE JOBS ON PAGE 6
Even with its recent meteoric rise — it’s up about 900% in the past month — each Shiba coin costs just a tiny fraction of one cent. If you bought $1,000 worth of Shiba in late September, your 20 million coins would now be worth around $9,000.
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