Construction Employment Stalls as Industry Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.5%

Construction employment edged up by 2,000 jobs between March and April as contractors try to find workers in an increasingly tight labor market, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government data. Association leaders urged officials in Washington to address both short- and long-term worker shortages with expanded permits for foreign-born workers and support for career training and education to enable more workers to acquire the skills for high-paying construction careers.

The unemployment rate among jobseekers with construction experience tumbled from 7.7% in April 2021 to 4.6% April 2022, the lowest April rate since the series began in 2000. The number of unemployed construction workers fell by 304,000 or 40% to 464,000, a 22-year low for April.

There were 415,000 construction-industry job openings at the end of March, a jump of 69,000 or 20% from March 2021.

Total construction employment inched up by 2,000 employees to just over 7.6 million in April. Employment in residential construction rose by 3,800 workers, including 2,500 employed by homebuilders and multifamily general contractors and 1,300 at residential specialty trade contractors.

Employment dipped by 2,000 at nonresidential construction firms, the first decline in eight months. The losses were limited to nonresidential specialty trade contractors, which shed 6,400 employees. General building contractors added 3,900 workers, while heavy and civil engineering construction firms added 500 employees.