The construction industry added 17,000 jobs on net in May, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has increased by 68,000 jobs, up 0.8%.
“The construction industry posted healthy job gains in May, especially within the nonresidential segment,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The industry’s recent job growth—driven by insatiable demand for data centers and ongoing growth in publicly funded construction activity—appears set to continue over the coming months. Contractors also remain broadly optimistic about growing their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.
“The bigger story in the May jobs report, however, is the surprising strength of the broader labor market,” Basu continued. “Economywide job growth has accelerated, rising to a pace not seen since the early months of 2024, and the unemployment rate held steady at a perfectly acceptable 4.3% in May. This is an indication of broader economic resilience, albeit one that is not necessarily encouraging for the construction industry.”
Nonresidential construction employment increased by 15,700 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential specialty traded added the most jobs, increasing by 11,400 positions. Meanwhile, heavy and civil engineering and nonresidential building added 2,600 and 1,700 jobs, respectively, in May.
The construction unemployment rate was 4.1% in May. Unemployment across all industries remained unchanged at 4.3% and was also unchanged from a year ago.
“The combination of a stable labor market and resurgent inflation suggests that rate hikes are now more likely than rate cuts over the next several quarters, and high borrowing costs and tight lending standards will continue to weigh on construction activity during the months ahead,” Basu said.
Visit abc.org/economics for the Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index, plus analysis of spending, employment, job openings and the Producer Price Index.
About Associated Builders and Contractors
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 with 67 chapters and 24,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC helps members offer a robust employee value proposition, develop people, win work, and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work.
