AGC: Construction added 25,000 jobs in July

Despite the boost the industry continues to struggle with limited workforce, and unable to keep pace with demand, the AGC said.

“The construction industry has maintained a steady pace of employment gains even as job growth has cooled in other sectors,” the association’s chief economist, Ken Simonson, said in a press release. “Both residential and nonresidential construction firms are adding workers, and the industry’s ‘wage premium’ is growing relative to other sectors.”

Seasonally adjusted construction employment totaled 8,260,000, an increase of 25,000 from June. The construction sector has added 239,000 jobs over the previous 12 months, a 3% boost over the past year, nearly doubling the 1.6% increase for total nonfarm employment.

The unemployment rate among jobseekers with construction experience was 3.9% in July, unchanged vs. 2023. Simonson remarked that this is another indication of steady demand for construction.

The AGC argues that funding for construction education and training programs needs to be driven by all levels of government, urging them to “boost funding for programs that expose workers to career opportunities in fields like construction.”

“Considering that construction careers pay well and are in demand, it makes sense for public officials to do more to expose people to the profession,” said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, AGC’s CEO. “Construction firms can’t build if they don’t have enough people to do the work.”

The full July report is available on AGC’s website here.