Construction Industry Adds 11K Jobs in July

The construction industry added 11,000 jobs in July, rising 0.14 percent to an employment total of 7.42 million, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

The employment gain followed three months of job losses but was limited to residential and specialty trade contractors, according to AGC—nonresidential building and infrastructure construction firms continued to shed workers during the month.

Residential building contractors added 8,300 employees in July, and employment remained unchanged in residential specialty trade contractors. Compared with February 2020, the last month before the COVID-19 pandemic, the residential construction segments have added 58,500 employees—a growth of 2.0%.

Nonresidential building contractors shed 2,500 employees in July as nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 7,500. Infrastructure contractors have added back only 37% of jobs lost at the start of the pandemic.

The full AGC report can be found here.