US Construction Job Openings Increase in May

A closer look at Tuesday’s US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for May, with analysis from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), shows that construction job openings increased to 298,000 in May from 234,000 in April.

Year-over-year, construction job openings were also higher, up from 222,000 in May 2025.

NAHB noted that construction job openings have moved within a lower, more volatile range since 2024, following the Federal Reserve’s rate increases and weaker home building activity. While home building employment has declined over the past year, other construction subsectors, including data center construction, have expanded.

The construction job openings rate increased to 3.5% in May, up from 2.6% a year earlier. The layoff rate increased to 2.1%, while the quits rate fell to 1.3%.