Associated Builders and Contractors recently released its ninth annual Merit Shop Scorecard, rating Arkansas as a state with a strong business environment for merit shop construction contractors. Ranking No. 3 out of 51 states, Arkansas rated highly due to favorable state laws, policies and programs that build the next generation of construction professionals and create an open competition approach to the construction industry.
The scorecard, released annually since 2015, ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on policies and programs that strengthen career pathways in construction, encourage workforce development and advocate for fair and open competition on taxpayer-funded construction projects.
“Commonsense conditions, policies and educational systems, like those in Arkansas, are vital in creating quality infrastructure built safely, efficiently and effectively for taxpayers,” said Bill Roachell, ABC Arkansas Chapter President. “The construction industry is facing a skilled labor shortage of more than half a million people and anti-competitive policies only exacerbate the industry’s labor shortage even further. Taxpayers are best served by policy and educational priorities that create a level playing field for all contractors to compete. As ABC’s Merit Shop Scorecard has demonstrated, by emphasizing the benefits of free enterprise and pro-business policies, Arkansas lawmakers have created the conditions for a healthy construction industry.”
Arkansas’ 2023 Scorecard:
- Overall rank: 3rd
- Project labor agreement policy: A
- Prevailing wage mandates: A
- Right-to-work laws: A
- Public-private partnerships: A
- Construction job growth: A
- Workforce development incentives: C
- Career and technical education: B
Building America: The Merit Shop Scorecard rates state laws, programs, policies and statistics central to the merit shop philosophy, which encourages open competition and a free enterprise approach that awards contracts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation.
Learn more at meritshopscorecard.org.
READ ALSO: UA LITTLE ROCK STUDENT AWARDED NATIONAL REAL ESTATE SCHOLARSHIP
