Total U.S. hiring rebounded from a not-so-hot July to add roughly 162,000 jobs in August, according to the latest monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction was again among the industries that added jobs, with the BLS estimating that contractors hired roughly 22,000 new workers last month.
More than half of the increase in construction jobs came from specialty contractors, which added 11,200 positions last month. Specialty contractors focused on nonresidential work added approximately 7,800 jobs during August, while residential specialty trade contractors increased employment by 3,400 positions.
Overall, building contractors added 5,500 new hires to their payrolls in August. However, hiring in this sector was up and down, with residential building contractors adding about 7,300 workers, while companies focused on non-residential construction shed about 1,800 jobs.
According to the BLS, heavy construction and civil engineering contractors added approximately 4,400 jobs during the month.
“The construction industry added jobs for the sixth month in a row in August, and on a year-over-year basis is growing its employment base at the fastest pace since February 2025,” ABC chief economist Anirban Basu said in a news release. “This growth has occurred despite the shrinking segment of home construction.
“Hiring remains highly concentrated in the non-residential specialty contractor category, a byproduct of the rapid and continued increase in construction activity related to data centers,” Basu added. “Given the long backlog levels of contractors with data center work … AI creation will continue to support construction job growth over the coming months.”
Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America, similarly noted aa press release this “The data center construction boom, along with advanced manufacturing and energy projects, is supporting a strong rebound in industry employment and wages despite weakness in homebuilding and other types of projects.”
Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics?
Try Ask ENR, our new intelligent AI search tool.
Ask ENR →
At the same time, however, Simonson added that “our latest labor force survey finds that all types of contractors are struggling to fill open positions, even as wages for craft workers are rising faster than in other sectors.”
“Contractors are paying more to attract workers, but higher wages alone cannot solve the industry’s workforce challenges,” added Jeffrey D. Shoaf, CEO of AGC of America. “Officials must invest in construction education and training, pursue sensible immigration reforms, and support infrastructure and development projects that are creating well-paying construction careers.”
