The Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA) reports that construction jobs will likely see a small recovery throughout 2012, as a recent survey has indicated that fewer companies plan to cut jobs this year compared to last.

Milwaukee School of Engineering president Hermann Viets says construction will soon begin on a new project after a large piece of land is made available. Speaking to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, there are a few minor tasks that need to be completed before work can start in earnest.

Construction will soon begin on a 360,000-square-foot outlet mall near a popular casino in the Phoenix area. According to the East Valley Tribune, it is set to open in spring 2013 and will feature 90 different outlet stores. The project represents the continued efforts of the Gila River Indian Community to improve its economic output.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have announced their data for the construction industry in December of 2011, and it appears that most of the metrics point to a positive upswing in business, at least compared to 2010.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon allocate $25 million to help fund the construction of a biorefinery plant in Iowa. The 55,000 square-foot facility will help produce millions of gallons of renewable energy a year. Construction of the factory itself will lead to about 40 extra jobs.

Construction company owners are becoming more excited about their future prospects, as the latest report from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index found that builder confidence has risen for the fourth consecutive month.

At the moment, a fairly large plot of land in downtown Tallahassee is completely undeveloped. However, within the next 18 months, all that is going to change. According to Tallahassee.com, it's going to become known as College Town. Occupying about six acres, the land will soon be filled by restaurants, bars and retail outlets. Best of all, when it's finished, College Town will offer between 600 and 800 jobs to locals in need of work.

The Garb Oil & Power Corporation announced that it had met with government officials and has made progress on a project that will bring seven waste treatment plants to an economically-depressed region of the state, which can provide hundreds of jobs for out-of-work individuals.

The construction sector of Ithaca, N.Y., is hitting the ground running. According to the Ithaca Journal, the downtown area should see a modest growth over the next year with the addition of new housing developments and a retail space.

A new study of workplace injuries has found that construction is one of the more dangerous professions to engage in, as the number of accidents is significantly higher than other industries.