The stimulus program is not stimulating the building industry, said Mike Campbell, chief operating officer of Ruekert & Mielke Inc., Waukesha, I think it is stimulating or keeping jobs for education and the public sector.

More than $1 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act went to Wisconsin education programs, teaching positions and new equipment, while $399 million went to such infrastructure work as highway, sewer and water projects, according to state figures.

Meanwhile, more than 14 percent of Wisconsin's consulting engineering work force has been laid off in the past year, according to the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin.

The Associated General Contractors of America on Monday reported the drop in spending on private projects outweighs the increases in spending on public projects.