Construction employment increased by 21,000 jobs in June following an increase of 4,000 jobs in May, according to www.agc.org.
The construction industry unemployment rate rose to 4% in June. The national unemployment rate for all industries increased to 3.7%.
The construction sector added 224,000 net new jobs during the past 12 months—a 3.2% increase. Average hourly earnings in construction increased 3.2% during the past year to $30.73, which is 10.1% higher than the private-sector average of $27.90.
“Construction firms continue to go to great lengths to recruit and retain workers during one of the tightest labor markets many of them have ever experienced,” says Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of America. “Making matters worse, relatively few school districts offer the kind of career and technical education programs that signal to students that they should explore careers in high-paying fields like construction.”
