Construction hiring continued to expand in September, with gains concentrated in nonresidential activity and specialty trade contracting. The latest federal employment data points to continued labor demand across portions of the construction market even as overall U.S. job growth remained modest.
Construction employment increased by 11,000 positions in September to approximately 8.36 million, according to federal labor data. The sector had added an average of 10,000 jobs per month during the preceding 12 months.
Nonresidential specialty trade contractors recorded a particularly strong increase, adding about 12,000 jobs during September. The category includes contractors performing specialized construction work across commercial and other nonresidential projects.
Construction of buildings also posted an increase during the month, while employment changes varied across other portions of the industry.
The September figures came as total U.S. nonfarm employment increased by 29,000 and the national unemployment rate stood at 4.2%.
The latest figures indicate that construction employers continued adding workers despite relatively limited overall payroll growth. Industry employment has also remained above its level from a year earlier.
Data from the Associated General Contractors of America shows construction employment increased by 109,000 jobs over the 12 months through September, representing a 1.3% gain. Nonresidential construction accounted for the industry's overall annual increase, while residential builders and subcontractors recorded a decline over the same period.
Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added more than 84,000 jobs over the year, while heavy and civil engineering construction employment increased by more than 26,000 positions.
Continued employment gains in nonresidential construction provide owners and contractors with a current indicator of labor demand across commercial, infrastructure and specialty construction activity. The concentration of recent hiring among nonresidential contractors also highlights the importance of skilled trade labor to ongoing project delivery.
For construction businesses, the employment data provides a measure of current workforce conditions as contractors continue staffing projects and specialty trade operations.
Source: U.S. Department Of Labor.
