US Nonresidential Construction Employment Increases by 19,000 in April

A closer look at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) April nonfarm payroll report, with analysis from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), shows that nonresidential construction employment increased by 19,000 positions in April, with gains across all three subcategories.

Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added the most jobs, increasing by 12,600 positions. Nonresidential building added 5,600 jobs, while heavy and civil engineering construction employment increased by 800.

The construction unemployment rate was 3.8% in April. Across all industries, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3% and was 0.1 percentage points higher than a year earlier.

Commenting on the report, ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said:

“Construction employment expanded modestly in April, but that’s largely due to weakness on the residential side of the industry. Nonresidential construction employment rose at a healthy pace for the month and is up a respectable 2.0% over the past year. This strength can be traced to surging data center construction spending, which is up 34% over the past year. It also helps explain why ABC member expectations for hiring remain elevated, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, despite tepid industrywide job growth.”