Construction Industry Faces Sharp Decline in Job Openings in August
Key Highlights
- Construction job openings decreased by 115,000 in August, reaching the lowest point in over a decade
- The decline in openings aligns with reductions in construction spending and employment, signaling industry contraction
- Despite recent declines, contractors remain cautiously optimistic about the upcoming six months
WASHINGTON, DC — The construction industry had 188,000 job openings on the last day of August, 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 115,000 last month and are down by 116,000 from the same time last year.
“Construction job openings plunged in August, falling to the lowest rate in over a decade,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While this data series tends to be volatile on a month-to-month basis, the precipitous decline in job openings aligns with other indicators like construction spending and employment, both of which have fallen in recent months. Contractors remain relatively optimistic about the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, yet recent data has made it abundantly clear that the construction industry is currently contracting.”
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.