US Adds 22,000 Construction Jobs in December

It’s the fourth month in a row of increases in nonresidential construction.

Source : Pixabay

January 7, 2022

Author : Patty Rodriguez

A new analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America shows that 22,00 construction jobs were added to the economy from November to December.

Total construction employment totaled 7,560,000, a 2.2 percent increase for the year, AGC reports. Overall, employment in construction is still down by 88,000 jobs from pre-pandemic levels.

While residential construction dipped for the third time in 2021, it was only by 4,100 employees in December and was therefore greatly offset by gains in nonresidential construction, which added 27,000 employees in December. The previous month saw an increase of 25,700.

However, nonresidential construction numbers are still significantly down from pre-pandemic levels to the tune of 169,000 employees. The sector has only recovered 74 percent of jobs at the beginning of the pandemic.’

“Nonresidential contractors are increasingly busy and are eager to hire even more workers,” Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist, said. “But the low rate of unemployment and record job openings in construction show how difficult it is bringing enough workers on board.”

Simonson went on to note that unemployment among former construction workers in December was five percent, which is the lowest rate for the month since 2000 and was down 9.6 percent from 2021.

Further breakdowns of different kinds of construction workers in the residential and nonresidential construction sector are available on AGC’s website.

Category : Contractor Trades Coronavirus Pandemic Labor Market Watch

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