The construction industry added 28,000 jobs in November, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
On a year-over-year basis, construction employment increased by 58,000 jobs, a gain of 0.7%.
Nonresidential construction employment rose by 28,800 jobs, with gains across all major categories. Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 18,700 positions, while nonresidential building construction and heavy and civil engineering added 5,100 and 5,000 jobs, respectively.
The construction unemployment rate was 4.1% in November. Across all industries, the unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, up 0.4 percentage points from a year earlier.
ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said construction job growth has strengthened in recent months, with the industry adding 52,000 jobs since August after losing 9,000 jobs during the first eight months of the year. He noted that growth has been driven largely by nonresidential specialty trades, particularly demand for electricians tied to data center construction.
