ARLINGTON, VA. — The U.S. construction industry added 23,000 jobs in February, the most since August, as a strong gain in employment at nonresidential contractors offset a small decline at residential firms.
According to recent analysis of new government data released by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), hiring would be even more robust if construction firms could find enough qualified workers.
Construction employment in February totalled 8,162,000, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 23,000 or 0.3 per cent from the January total. The sector has added 215,000 jobs during the past 12 months, a gain of 2.7 per cent.
Employment at nonresidential construction firms climbed by 24,200 positions for the month and 158,500 (3.4 per cent) since February 2023. Residential building and specialty trade contractors shed 1,200 employees in February but added 56,800 (1.7 per cent) over 12 months.
Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees in construction, covering most onsite craft workers as well as many office workers, climbed by 4.9 per cent over the year to $35.21 per hour. Construction firms in January provided a wage premium of 18.5 per cent compared to the average hourly earnings for all private-sector production employees.
Government reports on job openings and construction spending show demand for construction workers and projects remains solid, the association said. Job openings in construction at the end of January totalled 407,000, not seasonally adjusted, topping the 352,000 workers hired. The job openings data implies contractors want to hire far more workers than they can find, stated the AGC.
In addition, spending on projects underway that month totalled $2.1 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, 12 per cent higher than a year earlier.
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