Construction Adds 1,000 Jobs In October As Firms Struggle To Hire
Arlington, VA - The construction industry added only 1,000 employees in October while it continued
to boost wages for hourly workers as firms compete to hire from a small labor
pool, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America
of new government data. Association officials said the small increase in construction
employment is an indication of how hard it has become for construction firms to find qualified workers to hire.
“The construction sector would likely have added more jobs
in October if only firms could find people to bring on board,” said Stephen
E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Labor market conditions
are so tight, however, that the sector barely increased in size even as demand
remains strong for many types of construction projects.”
Total construction employment moved up by a mere 1,000 employees
to 7,721,000 in October, an increase of 266,000 or 3.6 percent from a year earlier.
Nonresidential building firms added 3,200 employees for the month, while residential
building firms added 3,200. Those gains, however, were offset job losses among
specialty trade contractors (-4,000 jobs) and heavy and civil construction firms (-400).
Pay levels in the construction industry continued to increase
in October. The average hourly earnings in construction went from $33.41 in October
2021 to $35.27 last month, an increase of 5.6 percent, higher that than the 4.7
percent increase in total private sector earnings for the year. Average weekly
earnings in the sector also increased from $1,296.31 in October 2021 to $1,372.00 last month.
The unemployment rate among jobseekers with construction experience
increased slightly from 4.0 percent in October 2021 to 4.1 percent last month.
The number of unemployed construction workers went from 398,000 in October 2021
to 419,000 in October of 2022, a slight increase, but still a small pool of available
workers given the overall size of the industry, Sandherr noted.
Association officials urged the Biden administration and Congress to take steps
to address construction workforce shortages. This includes allowing more people
to lawfully enter the country who have construction experience to provide short-term
relief. At the same time, they continued to urge leaders to address a funding
gap that puts $5 federal dollars into college-focused education programs for every
dollar invested in career and technical education.
“Washington officials are making historic investments in
infrastructure, manufacturing and the energy sector,” said Sandherr. “But
as much as they want to see new things getting built, they have not been willing
to invest in ways to encourage more people to do all that construction.”
About The Associated Builders And Contractors
Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 21,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 69 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. ABC's membership represents all specialties within the U.S. construction industry and is comprised primarily of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors. To learn more, visit www.abc.org.