AGC: Construction Firms Add 25,000 Jobs In July, Unemployment Rate Holds Steady

The construction sector added 25,000 jobs in July as wage gains continued to outpace increases in the broader economy, according to an analysis of new government data the Associated General Contractors of America released. Association officials said the biggest challenge for the industry remains finding enough workers to keep pace with demand and urged public officials to boost support for construction education and training programs.

Construction employment in July totaled 8.3 million, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 25,000 from June. The sector has added 239,000 jobs or 3% during the past 12 months, nearly double the 1.6% increase for total nonfarm employment.

All types of construction firms added employees in July. Nonresidential construction firms added 16,200 employees, including 2,000 at building firms, 11,300 at specialty trade contractors and 2,900 at heavy and civil engineering construction firms. Employment at residential firms rose by 9,100, including 1,700 at builders and 7,400 at specialty trade contractors.

Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees in construction — covering most onsite craft workers as well as many office workers — climbed by 4.4% over the year to $35.77 per hour. In contrast, overall private sector pay for production workers rose 3.8%, to $30.14. That difference in hourly pay constituted a wage “premium” of nearly 19% compared to the overall private sector.

The unemployment rate among jobseekers with construction experience was 3.9% in July, unchanged from a year earlier.

View the construction employment data here.