WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 — The construction industry added 25,000 jobs on net in September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment is up by 238,000 jobs, an increase of 3.0%.
Nonresidential construction employment increased by 17,900 positions on net, with growth in 2 of the 3 subcategories. Nonresidential specialty trade added the most jobs, increasing by 17,000 positions. Heavy and civil engineering added 3,800 jobs while nonresidential building lost 2,900 positions.
The construction unemployment rate increased to 3.7% in September. Unemployment across all industries decreased from 4.2% in August to 4.1% last month.
“Beyond the construction industry, this jobs report blew past expectations,” said Basu. “U.S. employers added 254,000 jobs for the month, the most since March, and employment estimates for the previous two months were revised upward by a total of 72,000 jobs. While the ongoing strength of the labor market and consumer spending indicates that the economy has weathered high interest rates better than anyone thought possible, the combination of rising household debt levels and economic uncertainty surrounding geopolitics and the looming election will potentially weigh on growth in the coming months.”