Construction employment added 22,000 jobs on net in August, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. On a year-over-year basis, the industry has expanded by 120,000 jobs—an increase of 1.5%.
The construction unemployment rate fell from 3.7% in July to 3.1% in August. The national unemployment rate for all industries held steady at 4.1% as the U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs.
Nonresidential construction added 10,400 jobs in August, with gains in two of the three subsectors. Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 7,800 jobs; heavy and civil engineering added 4,400 jobs; and nonresidential building lost 1,800 jobs.
“The construction industry added jobs for the sixth straight month in August and, on a year-over-year basis, is growing its employment base at the fastest pace since February 2025,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “That growth has occurred despite a shrinking homebuilding segment.
“Hiring remains highly concentrated in the nonresidential specialty trade contractor category, a byproduct of the rapid and ongoing increase in data center-related construction activity,” Basu continued. “Given the lengthy backlog levels of contractors with data center work, as reflected in ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator, the artificial intelligence buildout will continue to support construction employment growth during the next several months.”
