Construction Job Openings Decreased by 3,000 in April, Down 45% Since December 2023

WASHINGTON, DC — The construction industry had 248,000 job openings on the last day of April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 3,000 last month and are down by 78,000 from the same time last year.

“Construction labor market churn remained unusually slow in April,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The rates of hires, layoffs and quits are all low by historical standards, and industrywide job openings have fallen 45% since reaching an all-time high in December 2023. Despite stagnant workforce dynamics and emerging weakness in construction spending data, approximately 57% of contractors intend to increase their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.”

Visit abc.org/economics for the Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index, plus analysis of spending, employment, job openings and the Producer Price Index.