Bureau of Labor Statistics Reports Construction Employment Increased in October

A closer review of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment data for October, with additional analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and looking specifically at construction sector data, reveals that across the 48 states that reported construction sector job information (both residential as well as non-residential construction), 33 states reported an increase in October compared to September. Conversely, 13 states lost construction sector jobs.

Alabama and Virginia reported no change. Louisiana added 8,200 construction jobs while South Carolina lost -1,900.

Overall, the construction industry added 44,000 jobs in October compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, Louisiana increased by 7.1% while New Hampshire reported a decline of -2.2% between September and October.

Looking at the data from a year-over-year prospectus, construction sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 169,000, which is a 2.3% increase compared to the October 2020 level. California added 32,300 jobs, which was the largest gain of any state, while New York lost -11,400 jobs, which was the largest decline. In percentage terms, Rhode Island had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector by 9.9%. Over this period, Alaska reported the largest decline at -7.7%.