According to the newly released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), jobs in the construction industry had 224,000 openings in March. This is a significant increase to the reported slow February numbers of 2001,000. JOLTS includes all positions that are open on the last business day of the month. Overall in March the total number of job openings was relatively unchanged at 6.9 million.
Compared to the same time last year, jobs in the construction industry is down 54,000 jobs.
“Construction industry hiring rebounded from February’s historically low level but remains extremely subdued. Contractors also remain reluctant to fire workers; the layoff/discharge rate fell to the slowest pace since early 2024 and is lower than at any point prior to 2022,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While contractors remain confident that their staffing levels will improve this year, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, these stagnant labor market dynamics suggest that the industry remains in a holding pattern, one it will not exit until economic uncertainty lessens.”
The next JOLTS release is scheduled for June 2, 2026.
