US Nonresidential Construction Job Openings Retreat in April

A closer look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for April, with further analysis provided by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), reveals that the number of open nonresidential construction sector jobs decreased by 3,000 month-over-month and are down by 78,000 year-over-year.

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

“Construction labor market churn remained unusually slow in April. The rates of hires, layoffs and quits are all low by historical standards, and industrywide job openings have fallen 45% since reaching an all-time high in December 2023. Despite stagnant workforce dynamics and emerging weakness in construction spending data, approximately 57% of contractors intend to increase their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.”