Construction employment lost 11,000 jobs on net in February, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. On a year-over-year basis, the industry has expanded by 42,000 jobs—an increase of 0.5%.
The construction unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.9% in February. The national unemployment rate for all industries rose from 4.3% to 4.4% as the U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs.
Nonresidential construction lost 3,800 jobs in February, with losses in two of three subsectors. Nonresidential building added 4,100 jobs; heavy and civil engineering lost 6,500 jobs; and nonresidential specialty trade contractors lost 1,400 jobs.
“Construction employment shrank again in February and has now declined in 8 of the past 11 months,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Both the residential and nonresidential segments lost jobs for the month, adding to a recent string of downbeat industry data releases; construction spending has been in decline for several quarters, and ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator fell to a four-year low in January. With the conflict in Iran adding to trade policy-related uncertainty and crude oil prices well above $80 per barrel, the industry’s outlook remains downbeat through the first few months of 2026.”
