b'Industry News Continued from page 13 Use ofEmployees ContinuesSpending on Construction Rises Contract To deal with the labor s ,employers are hiring freelance andSpending onled by bigprojects, rose ahortage someconstruction,governmentsurcontract workers to fulfill short-term assignments. These are workers whoprising 1.4 percent in March, the thirdight monthly increase this year. stratypically do not want lull-time employment and enjoy the benefits of flexibleMeanwhile, the industrial sector grew in April, butawer pace. atsloscheduling and frequentConstruction spending increased to aannual rate of change.seasonally adjusted oofers growinginhe R , too, can benefit from tapping into thissegment of the$765.2 billionMarch, the Commerce Department said. T increase folworkforce, some experts say. Today, 10.2 millionrkers are employedlowed gains of 1.2 percent inand 2ntJanuary. wo asFebruaryperce in independent contract professionals, accounting for nearly 8rcent of theMarch\'s performance was stronger than analysts were anticipating. pe Many American workforce, according to recentistics from the Bureau of Laborwereforecastingthat c s tionspendingwouldbeunchanged, while stat on trucStatistics.some economistspredicting alne. weresmal decliendanotherNat al The need for contract workers in today\'s economy is a tr that is notInreport, theion Association of PurchasingManagement going to slow down, says Jim Deupree, founder and CEO of Placed.com, ansaid that its manufacturing index recorded its 15th consecutive month of percent onlinemarketplace whereFortune 500 firmsnegotiateproject work withgrowth, registering 54 9in April. basednational independent contract professionals. Deupree believes employers\' interest inThe index,on asurvey of executives who buy raw matericontract a willgrowdespitea courtrulingin Januarythatals and oth supplies for industries, was below the 55.5 p ntby rrangementsererce expected awarded $100 million in unpaid benefits and pensions to more than 10,000analysts. of Microsoft Corp.\'s outsourced employees.The outlook for continued strong growth led thederal Reserve to raise Fegrowingtheusi"This trend isdue todemand of today\'s last b ness envi interest rates May 16 - the sixth time since June 30-to slow the econronment, and it\'s becoming more and more crucial forloyers to adjusto and k inflation at emp myeepbay. compensation p to accommodatetrend," he says.Coniinued on next ackagesthis growingpage tJ \Vt ~l\'fi l ~ J \'1x.1a or an On line Ql,,jote, isit us at:www.metaldecksupply.com1601EMILYLANE, AURORA, lLLINPlS .605-04 630.978.ttsoof-Ax610.978.78:lli EMJ\\IL:aetdecksaol.c()m P.O. BQ)( Z2\'127lf.NOXVILLE;TENNE$SE]7933-t)U7I) STI:;l:L 866.675.68~1fax865.675341.?Q "AllDECK MANUMCi\'UREO E!Y i,\'.rEEL DECKINSlll\'lJTEMEMBERS"j E-MA-IL:sales@ai;:tmds.com 14\'\'\''