According to data released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national construction industry added 32,000 jobs on net in July.
Key Takeaways
- The construction industry added 32,000 jobs on net in July.
- Nonresidential construction employment increased by 18,300 positions on net, with all three subsectors showing positive growth.
- “Today’s employment report was expected to show an economy not yet in recession but at least headed in that direction. Shockingly, that did not come to pass, as U.S. employers added 528,000 jobs in July, more than twice the consensus forecast of 250,000, and the unemployment rate across all industries fell to 3.5%, tied for the lowest rate since the late 1960s."
Press Release from Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc (ABC)
ABC: Construction Employment Increases By 32,000 in July
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5—The construction industry added 32,000 jobs on net in July, 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 increased by 311,000 jobs, or 4.2%.
Nonresidential construction employment increased by 18,300 positions on net in July, with all three subsectors showing growth. Nonresidential specialty trade added 10,300 net new jobs, while nonresidential building added an additional 4,900. Heavy and civil engineering also added 3,100 new positions.
The construction unemployment rate decreased to 3.5% in July. Unemployment across all industries dropped from 3.6% in June to 3.5% last month.
“Today’s employment report was expected to show an economy not yet in recession but at least headed in that direction,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Shockingly, that did not come to pass, as U.S. employers added 528,000 jobs in July, more than twice the consensus forecast of 250,000, and the unemployment rate across all industries fell to 3.5%, tied for the lowest rate since the late 1960s.
“Yes, the construction industry also added a healthy number of jobs in July, but the impact of macroeconomic deterioration is already apparent in other construction data,” said Basu. “To date, the residential segment has felt the brunt of rising borrowing costs, with mortgage applications recently declining to multidecade lows. But ongoing weakness in certain commercial real estate segments, sky-high materials prices, and shortages of skilled construction workers have forestalled a growing number of projects by suppressing demand at a time when the cost of delivering construction services remains elevated. The industry’s labor supply remains severely constrained; the construction unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in July, the fifth lowest rate in the 22-plus years for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics has data.
“While backlog remains elevated from a year ago, according to ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator, this may have as much to do with the fact that projects are taking longer to complete than with underlying economic strength,” said Basu. “The expectation is that backlog will begin to fade for many contractors as the economy becomes less supportive. At the heart of the issue is the Federal Reserve, which will continue to raise interest rates as long as the labor market retains this level of momentum.”
Press Release from Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)
Association Official Says Labor Shortages are Keeping the Construction Sector from Adding Even More Jobs, Urges New Public Investments in Construction Workforce Development and Training Programs
Construction firms added 32,000 jobs in July as the sector’s unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent and the number of unfilled construction positions approaches record levels, according to an analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the job gains were welcome news but would have been higher if firms could find more workers to hire.
“Construction firms are doing their best to add new workers to keep pace with strong demand for construction,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Despite the month’s big gains, the industry’s job gains would have been even higher if there were more people available to hire.”
Total construction employment moved up to 7,706,000 in July as both residential and nonresidential construction firms added jobs for the month. Nonresidential firms added 18,300 employees including 4,900 at general building contractors, 10,300 at nonresidential specialty trade contractors, and 3,100 at heavy and civil engineering construction firms. Employment in residential construction—homebuilders, multifamily general contractors, and residential specialty trade contractors—increased by 14,100 between June and July.
Compared to July 2021, the construction industry has added 311,000 jobs, an increase of 4.2 percent. The nonresidential sector added 190,800 of those yearly job gains, an increase of 4.4 percent. Meanwhile, residential construction firms added 120,800 jobs between July 2021 and July 2022, an increase of 4.0 percent.
The unemployment rate among jobseekers with construction experience fell from 6.1 percent in July 2021 to 3.5 percent in July 2022 month, Sandherr noted. He added that the construction unemployment rate is at the lowest July level in four years. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed construction workers fell by 233,000, or 39 percent, to 359,000.
Sandherr added that as the number of unemployed construction workers declined, job openings in construction surged. There were 330,000 job openings in construction at the end of June, which is the second highest number of job openings for the month in the 22-year history of the construction industry job opening series, which federal officials released earlier this week.
Association officials said the challenge is too few people are aware of the many opportunities and benefits available of working in construction. The bulk of federal education funding is designed to encourage students to attend college and pursue office-style jobs, Sandherr noted. As a result, many workers are unaware they could be earning a good salary, with little to no college debt, in the construction industry.
“It is time to start telling Americans there are multiple paths to success and that one of those paths is a career in construction,” Sandherr said. “Investing in infrastructure and chip plants is important but investing in the people to build those facilities is essential.”
