Construction Adds 24,000 Jobs in February

The construction industry added 24,000 jobs on net in February, 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 has risen by 249,000 jobs, an increase of 3.2%.

Nonresidential construction employment increased by 11,600 positions, with growth registered in all three subcategories. Heavy and civil engineering added 7,700 net new jobs, while nonresidential specialty trade added 2,200 positions. The number of nonresidential building jobs increased by 1,700.

The construction unemployment rate fell to 6.6% in February, down from 6.9% in January. Unemployment across all industries rose from 3.4% in January to 3.6% last month.

“Earlier this week, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey indicated that the number of available, unfilled jobs in construction plummeted in January,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The February jobs report makes it more likely that this data point is an aberration. Both residential and nonresidential contractors added jobs in February, which is consistent with ABC’s Construction Confidence Index indicating that many contractors continue to seek additional staffing.

“While industry momentum persists, the jobs report suggests that the Federal Reserve still has considerably more work to do to slow the economy,” said Basu. “Though average hourly earnings are not expanding as quickly as they had been, wages are still rising too rapidly on an annual basis to position the Federal Reserve to restore inflation to its 2% target. Accordingly, monetary policy is set to tighten more quickly going forward, with interest rates rising further and staying higher for longer.

“Construction industry momentum may falter at some point in the future as project financing becomes increasingly expensive,” said Basu. “That said, some contractors will continue to have significant workflow even in the instance of an economywide recession. That’s due to the arrival of megaprojects, including those emerging from infrastructure programs and investment in more manufacturing capacity in America.”