The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey shows the construction industry registered 248,000 job openings in April, which is down by 3,000 from March and down by 78,000 from April 2024, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. The survey defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting.
Construction workers were laid off at a faster rate than they quit; the layoff/discharge rate in April was 2.1%, and the quit rate was 1.8%.
“Construction labor market churn remained unusually slow in April,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The rates of hires, layoffs and quits are all low by historical standards, and industrywide job openings have fallen 45% since reaching an all-time high in December 2023. Despite stagnant workforce dynamics and emerging weakness in construction spending data, approximately 57% of contractors intend to increase their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.”
