Construction employment increased by 1,000 jobs in November following an increase of 10,000 jobs in October, according to www.agc.org.
The construction unemployment rate was 4.4% in November. The national unemployment rate for all industries fell to 3.5%.
The construction sector added 146,000 net new jobs during the past 12 months—a 2% increase. Average hourly earnings in construction increased 2.7% during the past year to $31.08, which is 10.2% higher than the private-sector average of $28.29.
“Contractors report they remain busy and have lots of projects on their order books,” says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. “But they find it extremely difficult to fill many positions despite paying more than other industries. That’s not surprising, given that the total unemployment rate returned to a 50-year low in November—a sign that all industries are competing for workers.”
