It was because of these investments, and the tens of thousands of projects they spurred all over the country, that the battered construction sector actually grew last month for the first time in a long time.
The trade organization also said that hiring plans dipped in June after growing in May for the first time in 28 months.
On Monday, the I.S.M. reported that manufacturing grew in December for the fifth consecutive month.
Manufacturing activity in China grew in November for the second consecutive month.
Economic activity in the nonmanufacturing sector grew in September for the 22nd consecutive month.
In economic news, manufacturing activity in the United States grew in January for a sixth consecutive month to the strongest level since August 2004, according to the Institute for Supply Management.
Another report, from the Institute for Supply Management, showed that economic activity in the nonmanufacturing sector grew in January for the 25th consecutive month.
Still, concerns that manufacturing could be faltering were eased on Wednesday when a private trade group's report showed the industrial sector grew in August for the 13th straight month.
During that time, the Labor Department reported a gain of 243,000 jobs in January and the lowest unemployment rate since early 2009, while another report, from the Institute for Supply Management, showed that economic activity in the nonmanufacturing sector grew in January for the 25th consecutive month.
Rate jitters were fueled by the inadvertent premature release of the report from the National Association of Purchasing Management, which showed that the nation's manufacturing sector grew in August for the seventh consecutive month amid signs of a possible threat of inflation pressures.
