Help Save a Critical Jobs Training Program
The severe labor shortage in the construction industry is raising construction costs and harming housing affordability. NAHB’s workforce training affiliate, the Home Builders Institute, is building the next generation of skilled tradespeople and is the largest Job Corps national trades training contractor.
A House appropriations subcommittee has eliminated funding for the Job Corps program, the nation’s largest residential career training and education program. In response, NAHB is urging all residential construction industry members and supporters to contact their members of Congress and tell them to fully fund the Job Corp program. Visit builderlink.org/take-action to send a letter.
The redesigned BuilderLink portal allows members and supporters to send a letter to their congressional representative easily. The portal will be pre-populated with your information if you are signed in to nahb.org. To change the information on file to your current home address before sending a letter, visit the “My Information” page in the BuilderLink portal.
As part of the BuilderLink portal redesign, users can now access information on NAHB’s top advocacy issues. In addition, users can connect with BUILD-PAC, NAHB’s bipartisan political arm, which helps elect pro-housing, pro-business candidates to federal office.
Latest from NAHBNow
With rising material costs and lingering labor shortages, builders need to keep projects on schedule and on budget now more than ever. Drone as a Service can help, delivering next-generation aerial data insights to builders, without needing to purchase drones, hire pilots, or navigate regulatory approvals.
NAHB has promoted Alison Benson, CPA, to chief financial officer and treasurer. Benson brings more than two decades of accounting, financial planning and nonprofit financial management experience to the role. She joined NAHB in February 2026 as vice president, controller, and also served as interim treasurer.
Latest Economic News
Housing’s share of the economy was 15.7% in the third quarter of 2026, according to the latest estimates of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This share is down from 15.8% in the second quarter and down from 16.0% a year ago. Residential construction, measured by residential fixed investment, fell for the sixth time over the past eight quarters.
The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge accelerated in September after holding at 3.0% for three consecutive months, complicating the Fed’s path to its 2% target. Consumer spending continued to be pushed up by elevated energy prices rather than income growth, driving the personal saving rate to the lowest level in nearly four years.
The U.S. economy grew at a faster pace in the third quarter of 2026, supported by stronger consumer spending, robust business investment, and increased government spending. However, residential investment remained a weak spot, highlighting the continued challenges facing the housing sector amid elevated borrowing costs.