The construction industry added 22,000 jobs in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Construction employment has increased by 120,000 jobs, or 1.5%, over the past year. Nonresidential construction added 10,400 positions in August, led by specialty trade contractors with 7,800 jobs and heavy and civil engineering construction with 4,400. Nonresidential building employment declined by 1,800 jobs.
The construction unemployment rate fell to 3.1% in August, down from 3.2% a year earlier.
ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said hiring remains concentrated among nonresidential specialty trade contractors, driven in part by continued data center construction. He said contractors' existing backlogs of data center work could continue supporting construction employment in the coming months.
