Dive Summary:

• Architects' business is tied to construction, and the savaging of the construction business in recent years has taken a heavy toll on architecture firms, according to results of a survey by the American Institute of Architects.
• Gross revenue for U.S. firms fell from $44 billion in 2008 to $26 billion in 2011, the survey found. Firms also were forced to drop more than 28% of their positions as work disappeared.
• The biggest cuts at forms were technical and non-tecnhical staff that were not highly billable, and that remains the picture today. As construction companies hesitate to add staff until they have confidence their business is recovering, architecture firms follow suit.

From the article:

All industries contracted during the recession, but few shrank as dramatically as architecture. Between 2008 and 2011, gross revenue at architecture firms fell from over $44 billion to $26 billion. ...