Scorelogix Construction JSI

Scorelogix Construction JSI Increases by 3.6% in August 2008

2008-09-17T10:07:00.001-07:00

Scorelogix^® Construction Job Security Index^™ Increases

by 3.6% in August 2008

Fifth Straight Month of Growth in Industry

The Scorelogix® Construction Job Security Index™, a predictor of job security in a key sector of the economy, rose 3.6% in July, to 77.2. This marks the fifth consecutive month of growth in Construction. Job Security in Construction had become significantly less secure after December 2007, when a four month, 110.3 point, 93.4% decline began. Recovery since March 2008 has been steady, but slow. Further, the 3.6% growth in August marks the slowest rate of growth since recovery began in April 2008.

The strongest individual States for job security in Construction are South Dakota and Wyoming. Michigan is the weakest State for job security, with Mississippi and Rhode Island recording low scores as well.

Top 10 States by Construction Job Security in August 2008

1	South Dakota	117.2
2	Wyoming	114.6
3	North Dakota	110.3
4	Utah	108.2
5	Nebraska	108.1
6	Idaho	107.8
7	Montana	104.5
8	New Hampshire	103.5
9	Iowa	103.4
10	Oklahoma	101.5

Bottom 10 States by Construction Job Security in August 2008

1	Michigan	36.6
2	Mississippi	47.2
3	Rhode Island	51.2
4	California	58.0
5	Illinois	59.6
6	District Of Columbia	62.4
7	Ohio	63.2
8	Tennessee	64.6
9	South Carolina	65.3
10	Kentucky	66.4

The increase in job security in Construction has occurred across all nine of the US census regions.

The West South Central and Mountain Regions recorded the sharpest increase of 4.6 percent in job security. At 1.97% growth, the East North Central Region registered the slowest rate of growth in job security.

The 3.6% growth in overall Construction job security inversely reflects the 3.3% decline in the National JSI. This juxtaposition brings the Construction JSI closer to the National JSI, though they are still separated by a 42.7 point margin.

The nominal increase in job security in Construction is attributable to a slowdown in seasonal labor needs, and may indicate that the summer recovery in Construction job security is coming to an end.

2008-09-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

8/26/2008

Construction Job Security Index Continues Arduous Recovery
After Seven Month Decline of 93%, Construction sees Four Months of Growth

The Scorelogix® Construction Job Security Index™, a predictor of job security in a key sector of the economy, rose to 74.6 in July, marking a 19.7% increase, and the fourth increase in as many months. This comes as a welcome development following the catastrophic decline of the JSI in the preceding seven months, dating to November 2007. The initial decline coincided directly with growing turmoil in the credit markets, and increasing foreclosures in housing. As the full scope of the issue comes into focus, a steadily increasing Construction JSI is a promising indicator that these markets have weathered the storm, and that American jobs in the Construction Industry have become much more secure.

The increase in job security in Construction has occurred across all nine of the US census regions. The West South Central region recorded the largest increase of 21.6 percent in job security compared to the regional average increase of 19.8 percent.

The strongest individual States for Construction job security include South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, and Nebraska. Michigan is by far the weakest State for Construction job security, with Mississippi, Rhode Island, Alaska, and California all struggling in this regard as well.

Since March 2008, the Construction JSI has experienced a meteoric 850% rise. This is heavily tempered by the fact that, at that time, the JSI had fallen to a dismal score of 7.8, after a seven month pounding that saw it drop from a high score of 128.2. Currently, at 74.6, the Construction JSI lags well behind the National JSI, and is still a long way from recovering to its July 2007 number. Even so, job security in Construction is much stronger today than in the preceding months, and is an indicator that builders and contractors are regaining a sense of confidence, and that the market may eventually move beyond the current turmoil.

Top 10 States: JSI

1	South Dakota	109.0
2	Wyoming	106.3
3	Utah	102.2
4	Nebraska	101.9
5	Idaho	101.4
6	North Dakota	100.8
7	Iowa	96.0
8	Oklahoma	95.7
9	New Hampshire	93.9
10	Hawaii	93.6

Bottom 10 States: JSI

1	Michigan	37.7
2	Mississippi	51.3
3	Rhode Island	52.2
4	Alaska	56.0
5	California	58.1
6	Illinois	59.6
7	District Of Columbia	61.3
8	Ohio	63.1
9	Tennessee	63.4
10	Kentucky	63.5

To obtain further information about Scorelogix’s Job Security Index, or to receive a more in depth analysis of the data provided above, email Bill Dougherty @

bill.dougherty@scorelogix.com

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