The construction industry ranked among the strongest sectors for job growth in November, adding a total of an estimated 28,000 positions in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Dec. 16 jobs report.
The positive numbers extended to construction across three broad sectors, with construction contractors adding 8,500 jobs and heavy and civil firms hiring an additional 5,000 workers.
Specialized trading firms led the job hiring, collectively increasing employment by about 15,000. Among these companies, nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 18,700 jobs, while those focused on residential projects shed roughly 3,700 jobs.
The next strongest sector was led by construction contractors, with non-residential firms adding approximately 5,100 positions and residential contractors increasing employment by 3,400.
The heavy construction and civil engineering sector added about 5,000 positions in November.
Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors, noted the recent positive growth in construction employment compared to previous months.
“The industry has added 52,000 jobs since August,” Basu said in a press release. He called this increase in hiring “a marked reversal of the 9,000 jobs lost in the first eight months of the year.”
“This recent uptick has been led by rapid employment growth for non-residential specialty trade contractors, a trend that is at least partially due to the growing need for electricians caused by the data center construction boom,” Basu added.
Basu also pointed to the latest data from ABC Building Confidence Index, commenting, “While overall industry employment growth may remain sluggish due to job losses in the residential segment, non-residential contractors remain optimistic about their staffing levels.”
Macrina Wilkins, senior research analyst at Associated General Contractors of America, noted continued demand for workers in the non-residential sector.
“Construction employment rebounded in November and continued to grow faster than overall nonfarm payrolls,” Wilkins said in a news release. “Underlying trends still point to steady demand for non-residential construction, although parts of the residential market remain soft.”
