Construction Sector Faces Stagnant Job Market Amid Uncertainty
Key Highlights
- Construction job openings increased by 23,000 in March 2026 but are down 54,000 from the previous year
- The layoff rate is at its lowest since early 2024, indicating reduced workforce churn
- The industry continues to experience a stagnant labor market with limited hiring and firing activity.
WASHINGTON, DC — The construction sector saw 224,000 job openings on the last day of March, 2026, this according to 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 23,000 last month but are down by 54,000 from the same time last year.
“The industry’s labor market continues to be defined by an utter lack of churn,” said Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Chief Economist Anirban Basu.
“Construction industry hiring rebounded from February’s historically low level but remains extremely subdued," Basu continued. "Contractors also remain reluctant to fire workers; the layoff/discharge rate fell to the slowest pace since early 2024 and is lower than at any point prior to 2022.
"At the same time, workers are also reluctant to quit compared to the prevailing trend of the late 2010s and early 2020s. While contractors remain confident that their staffing levels will improve this year, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, these stagnant labor market dynamics suggest that the industry remains in a holding pattern, one it will not exit until economic uncertainty lessens.”
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.