Construction Backlog, Contractor Confidence Outpace Year-Ago Levels in March

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Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to 8.6 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 23 to April 6. The reading is up 0.5 months from February and up 0.1 months from March 2025. View ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index for March. View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data series. The 15% of ABC member contractor respondents under contract to perform work on data centers had significantly longer backlog (10.6 months) than the 85% of contractors who are not (8.3 months). ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for profit margins … Read more

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Construction Employment Rebounds by 26,000 in March

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The construction industry added 26,000 jobs in March, 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 57,000 jobs, an increase of 0.7%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 12,200 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential building added the most jobs, increasing by 4,500 positions. Nonresidential specialty trade and heavy and civil engineering added 3,900 and 3,800 jobs, respectively, in March. The construction unemployment rate was 6.7% in March. Unemployment across all industries dropped to 4.3%, but is still 0.1 percentage … Read more

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Slowest Rate of Construction Hiring on Record in February

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The construction industry had 202,000 job openings on the last day of February, 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 decreased by 28,000 in February and are down by 53,000 from the same time last year. “Construction hiring fell to the slowest rate on record in February,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “At the same time, contractors remained reluctant to lay off workers while … Read more

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Construction Hiring Remained Slow in January

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The construction industry had 231,000 job openings on the last day of January, 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 decreased by 14,000 in January and are down by 1,000 from the same time last year. “While construction hiring accelerated in January, rising to the fastest rate since the first half of 2025, that’s unfortunately not saying much,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The … Read more

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Nearly 9 of 10 US Construction Workers Not Union Members, Says ABC

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According to an Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 Union Members Summary, 11.1% of U.S. construction industry workers belong to a union, an increase from 10.3% in 2024, vs. 88.9% who do not. The BLS reported that 995,000 construction industry workers were members of a union, while 8 million chose to pursue their careers in merit-based construction in 2025. The construction industry grew to 9 million workers in 2025. “Merit shop construction employment reached an all-time high in 2025. This demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of construction workers prefer to work in an … Read more

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