The construction industry added 10,000 jobs on net in November 2024, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment rose by 211,000 jobs, an increase of 2.6 percent.
Nonresidential construction employment increased by 6,800 positions on net. Nonresidential specialty trade added the most jobs on net, with employment in the category increasing by 7,000 positions. Heavy and civil engineering added 1,500 jobs, while nonresidential building lost 1,700 jobs in November.
The construction unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent in November. Unemployment across all industries rose to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent in October.
“While the construction industry added just 10,000 jobs in November, industrywide employment growth has still significantly outpaced the broader economy over the past year,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “More importantly, economy-wide job gains rebounded in November, confirming October’s paltry job growth was indeed a result of hurricanes Helene and Milton.”
The average hourly wage for production and nonsupervisory employees in construction rose to $36.22 in November 2024, topping the private-sector average by 18.5 percent, according to an analysis of recent government data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
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Ken Simonson, Chief Economist at AGC, noted that a separate government report showed that construction industry layoffs in October 2024 fell to 97,000, the lowest monthly total in the 25-year history of the series. He said this suggests contractors expect to need more workers in the near future despite the modest job growth in November.
