Construction Hiring Remains Sluggish in May

WASHINGTON, DC — The construction industry had 245,000 job openings on the last day of May, 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 increased by 3,000 last month but are down by 130,000 from the same time last year. 

“Industrywide labor demand continued to be subdued in May,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The year-to-date construction hiring rate is lower than in any year since the start of the data series in 2000. Job openings are down about 35% year over year and layoffs remain historically uncommon. Of course, it’s unclear how immigration policy uncertainty is affecting these data. To the extent that a decline in the hiring of undocumented workers is not reflected, the industry could be significantly weaker than it appears.

“Despite that possibility, contractors remained optimistic in May,” said Basu. “Over 55% expect their staffing levels to increase during the second half of 2025, 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.