Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure

摘要

According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry's "shale gale" could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that's provided its share of recent disappointments. In a spring industry roundtable hosted by Reed Construction Data, economists from the American Institute of Architects, the Associated General Contractors of America, and RCD discussed the mixed signals in commercial design and construction, and the seemingly perennial predictions of a breakthrough. The overall conclusion, according to Bernard Markstein, U.S. Chief Economist for RCD? The economy's improving and employment is growing, but both ought to be better by now.