Iowa faces a worker shortage that makes recreational offerings more important, a business group says. (Photo by Perry Beeman, Iowa Capital Dispatch)
An architectural services index used to gauge economic strength was strong in February but is expected to wane in March.
The report by the American Institute of Architects showed rising demand for architects’ work for the sixth month in a row. The Midwest index was 53.6, slightly higher than the national score of 53.4. Anything above 50 suggests growing demand.
March could be a different story, institute leaders said.
“Business conditions at architecture firms have been surprisingly positive so far this year. However, firms were just beginning to feel the impact of the dramatic slowdown caused by COVID-19 as this survey was being conducted in early March,” AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said in a statement. “The rapid pull-back in activity throughout the economy will obviously be felt in the design and construction sector, and architecture firms will be one of the first to see how these events play out.”
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