Construction employment increased by 4,000 jobs in July following an increase of 21,000 jobs in June, according to www.agc.org.
The construction industry unemployment rate rose from 3.4% in July 2018 to 3.8% in July. The national unemployment rate for all industries remained at 3.7%.
The construction sector added 202,000 net new jobs during the past 12 months—a 2.8% increase. Average hourly earnings in construction increased 2.8% during the past year to $30.75, which is 9.9% higher than the private-sector average of $27.98.
“Job gains in construction have slowed markedly in recent months but the industry is still increasing employment nearly twice as much as other employers,” says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. “The recent slowdown in hiring and construction spending may reflect contractors’ difficulty in finding enough qualified workers, rather than a downturn in demand for projects.”
