Construction building and the economy

My dad works in construction, so he has been hit pretty hard by the economy of late. He has spent weeks without a job to go to. And just last week he told me that he was working on a commercial building and once it was completed he had nothing lined up. So, I was relieved to see on Yahoo the heading Construction spending falls less than expected. I just really wish he had been smarter about saving money for these tough times. Here's hoping that the election brings about an upswing in the economy.