Construction Hiring Remains Subdued in June

The construction industry had 246,000 job openings on the last day of June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 14,000 last month but are down by 39,000 from the same time last year.

“While industrywide job openings increased in June, the share of all construction positions that are unfilled remains low by recent standards,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “More importantly, the hiring rate during the first half of 2025 was lower than during the first six months of any year since the start of the data series in 2000. Because contractors have also been laying workers off at a historically slow pace, industrywide employment continues to edge higher, but few job openings and sluggish hiring suggest weak demand for labor.

“That said, these data likely reflect the fact that the residential segment has struggled mightily this year, while nonresidential employment data have been more upbeat,” said Basu. “Fewer than 14% of ABC members expect their staffing levels to decrease during the second half of 2025, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index. This suggests that the nonresidential side of the industry will continue to add jobs during the third and fourth quarter of 2025.”