Construction sector jobs increased again in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. However, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analysis is skeptical that a majority of the work is in residential construction.
The positive is that construction jobs are up more than the previous month, at 326,000 in July compared to the June increase of 298,000.
Notably, July’s postings are stronger than last’s year’s numbers of 305,000 jobs. Hiring in July increased from 3.8% to 4.4% and layoffs plateaued at 1.9%, while the quits rate increased to 2.3%.
“The current level of open jobs is down from three years ago due to declines in construction activity, particularly in housing,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “Nonetheless, strength in construction for subsectors like data center construction (up 46% year-over-year) is creating demand for construction workers.
