ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Drops in October

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Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.1 months in October, according to an ABC member survey conducted Oct. 20 to Nov. 3. The reading is down 0.6 months from September and 0.3 months from the same time last year. View ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index for October. View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data series. Backlog in the infrastructure category fell to 8.7 months, the lowest level since May 2025, while backlog in the heavy industrial category rose to a 15-month high. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index reading for profit margins […]

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Nonresidential Construction Adds 13,300 Jobs in October

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The construction industry lost 3,000 jobs on net in October, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has grown by 124,000 jobs, an increase of 1.5%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 13,300 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential specialty trade added the most jobs, increasing by 7,900 positions, while nonresidential building and heavy and civil engineering added 2,900 and 2,500 jobs, respectively, in October. The construction unemployment rate was 3.6% last month. Unemployment across all industries decreased to 4.1%. “The construction […]

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ABC: Construction Quits Surge to 198,000 in September as Labor Shortages Reemerge

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The construction industry had 298,000 job openings on the last day of September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 36,000 last month and are up by 92,000 from the same time last year. “Nearly 200,000 construction workers quit their jobs in September,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “That’s the most in any month since the first half of 2023 and a […]

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Data Centers Continue to Drive Nonresidential Spending Higher in September

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National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.6% in September, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.325 trillion. Spending was up on a monthly basis in 8 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was up 1.1%, while public nonresidential construction spending was down 0.1% in September. “Nonresidential construction spending grew for the sixth consecutive month in September,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “As has been the case for several months, data centers accounted for virtually all of that increase. Excluding […]

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ABC: All 50 States Had a Construction Unemployment Rate Below 10% in September

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The national September not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate was 3.5%, a 0.3% decrease from one year ago. According to a state-by-state analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by Associated Builders and Contractors, all 50 states had a construction unemployment rate below 10% and all but three states (Alaska, Minnesota and North Dakota) had a rate below 6%. National NSA payroll construction employment was 103,000 higher than in September 2025. Seasonally adjusted payroll construction employment was 8.4 million, or 9.9% above its pre-pandemic peak of 7.6 million. Estimated state construction unemployment rates were lower than their pre-pandemic […]

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