New fuel has been added to the minimum wage debate as the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) declares that raising it could have negative consequences on jobs.

The latest report from Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) indicates that 2013 will likely end on a positive note.

Contractors' workloads are increasing, and they need to hire more employees to be able to meet the needs of their customers.

While contractors' outlooks can vary depending on a lot of factors, they generally have a positive outlook on 2014.

HARDI's latest report showed modest sales growth of 3.6 percent for November 2013, which is less than the 6 percent growth reported for November 2012. 

Despite the economic downturn, HVAC industry revenue from 2009 to 2014 increased at an annualized rate of 2.4 percent. With the positive developments now seen in the market, industry revenue is forecast to rise over the next five years, with significant growth in 2014.

The results of the survey reflect a “significant improvement” over last year’s survey, which found 70 percent of participants expected the economy to be better in 2013 than 2012, while 3 percent predicted it would be worse.