Construction employment in May went up by 11,000 jobs since April to 6.88 million, the highest level since October 2008, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
Average weekly hours in construction rose to 39.9 in May, the highest figure since the AGC started tracking it in 2006, and average hourly earnings increased 2.2 percent year-over-year to $28.55.
"Construction firms continued adding new jobs at a faster rate than the broader economy during the past year as demand for their services remains strong," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist, in a statement. "Even so, they had to keep employees on the job for more hours because they could not find enough qualified people to hire."
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