Construction employment added 28,000 jobs on net in November, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. On a year-over-year basis, the industry has expanded by 58,000 jobs—an increase of 0.7%.
The construction unemployment rate rose to 4.1% in November. The national unemployment rate for all industries rose to 4.6% as the U.S. economy lost 41,000 jobs.
Nonresidential construction added 28,800 jobs in November, with gains in all three subsectors. Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 18,700 jobs; nonresidential building added 5,100 jobs; and heavy and civil engineering added 5,000 jobs.
“Construction industry job growth has picked up over the past three months,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The industry has added 52,000 jobs since August, a stark reversal from the 9,000 jobs lost during the first eight months of the year.
“This recent rebound has been led by rapid growth in nonresidential specialty trade contractor employment, a trend that is at least partially due to the surging need for electricians caused by the data center construction boom,” Basu continued. “While overall industry employment growth may remain sluggish due to ongoing residential segment job losses, nonresidential contractors remain optimistic about their staffing levels, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.”
