LABOR AND MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERALLY AIDED HIGHWAYS

Reversing a long downward trend, labor requirements for new federally aided highway construction have increased despite technological gains and more efficient construction methods. Measured in 1972 dollars, 121.6 employee hours were spent for each $1,000 of federally aided highway construction in 1976. Approximately 44 percent of these employee hours (53.8 per $1,000) came from workers in the construction industry, while 56 percent (67.8 per $1,000) came from factories, offices, and mines which produced and transported the materials used. In constant dollars, after declining at a rate of 2.0 percent a year between 1958 and 1973, the number of employee hours for new highways generated in all industries increased at an annual rate of 0.6 percent between 1973 and 1976. Adjusting the 1976 data for price and productivity changes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 1978 each $1 billion of contract cost generated 32,000 full-time jobs, 15,000 within the construction industry and 17,000 in other industries. In 1976, each $1 billion created 43,000 jobs, 20,000 in construction and 23,000 in other industries. Excluded from other industries are estimates of the employment generated by spending of construction workers' wages and salaries, and contractors' profits. Money spent federally aided highways generated a total of 354,000 jobs in 1976, 163,000 in construction and 191,000 in other industries. Based on employee-hour figures for Federal highway construction, the Bureau estimates that expenditure on all public highways created a total of 517,000 jobs. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Bureau of Labor Statistics

  441 G Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20212
• Authors:
  • Prier, R J
• Publication Date: 1979-12

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: p. 29-34
• Serial:
  • Monthly Labor Review
  • Volume: 102
  • Issue Number: 12
  • Publisher: Government Printing Office

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction; Construction industry; Costs; Federal aid highways; Labor costs; Productivity; Road construction; Specifications
• Uncontrolled Terms: Construction costs; Requirement
• Subject Areas: Construction; Finance; Highways; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00329643
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 12 1981 12:00AM