The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey shows the construction industry registered 251,000 job openings in August, which is down by 48,000 for the month and up by 38,000 from August 2025. The survey defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting.
Construction workers quite at a faster rate than they were laid off; the quit rate was 1.8% in August and the layoff/discharge rate was 1.2%.
“The August JOLTS data indicate that both the demand for and supply of construction workers are decreasing,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Job openings fell to the lowest level since March, while just 99,000 construction workers were laid off for the month, the fewest in any month since the start of this data series in December 2000.
“These dynamics may seem contradictory but are consistent with ongoing weakness in the residential segment coupled with booming data center activity and the resulting scarcity of certain skilled trades workers,” Basu continued. “Nonresidential contractors, which on net expect to increase their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, will likely experience faster labor cost escalation due to these shortages in certain occupational categories like electricians and HVAC workers.”
