Construction Job Openings Fall 18K in October
Key Highlights
- The construction industry had 213,000 job openings at the end of October, down 18,000 from the previous month
- Job openings are 36,000 fewer than the same period last year, indicating a contracting market
- The data was impacted by the government shutdown, making it the most current available indicator of industry health
WASHINGTON, DC — The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics has found the construction industry had 213,000 job openings on the last day of October. Industry job openings decreased by 18,000 in October and are down by 36,000 from the same time last year.
(JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting.)
“The number of open, unfilled construction jobs remained extraordinarily low in October,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Hires, on the other hand, fell sharply for the month. This is consistent with other recent data, most of which has shown that the construction industry has been in a state of contraction throughout the majority of 2025.
“Because of the government shutdown, this JOLTS release is the most current indication of construction industry activity, and more updated data will not be available until later this month,” said Basu. “Despite what has been a fairly dismal stretch of industry data, contractors remain upbeat about their hiring intentions 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.