The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey shows the construction industry registered 224,000 job openings in March, which is up by 23,000 for the month but down by 54,000 from March 2025, 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 the same rate they quit; the layoff/discharge rate and quit rate were 1.7% in March.
“The industry’s labor market continues to be defined by an utter lack of churn,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Construction industry hiring rebounded from February’s historically low level but remains extremely subdued. Contractors also remain reluctant to fire workers; the layoff/discharge rate fell to the slowest pace since early 2024 and is lower than at any point prior to 2022. At the same time, workers are also reluctant to quit compared to the prevailing trend of the late 2010s and early 2020s. While contractors remain confident that their staffing levels will improve this year, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, these stagnant labor market dynamics suggest that the industry remains in a holding pattern, one it will not exit until economic uncertainty lessens.”
.jpg)
