Unemployment rates remain at historically low levels within the construction industry as 11,000 jobs were added in September.
Analysis of the data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Associated Builders and Contractorsand Associated General Contractors of America suggests that construction firms continue to struggle to find skilled laborers to continue working.
Construction employment in September totaled 8,014,000, seasonally adjusted, with a gain of 11,000 or 0.1% from August.
The industry has added 217,000 jobs (2.8%) during the past 12 months.
A separate government report indicated that there were 360,00 job openings in construction at the end of August. Association analysis showed that the number of openings decreased by 3,000 the previous month but was up 5,000 from the same time in 2022.
Associated Builders and Contractors
“The number of open, unfilled construction positions declined in August but remains higher than both one year ago and the pre-pandemic level,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Despite the year-over-year increase, the rate at which construction workers are quitting has slowed dramatically as labor constraints ease in other industries that compete for the same workers.”
