An estimated 9.8 million people worked in construction in 2016, with over 3.8 million employed in residential construction, according to a National Association of Home Builders analysis, an overall increase of 2 percent from the year prior.
Construction employment has increased at a steady pace since bottoming out in 2011, but is still well below its peak in 2006, according to NAHB. At the height of the housing boom in 2006, over 11 million people were employed in construction jobs, with more than 5 million working in residential construction.
In a statement, NAHB Chairman Randy Noel called the steady employment gains since 2011 “promising,” but said the numbers are still far below where they need to be. He said NAHB intends to push for workforce development initiatives and comprehensive immigration reform to address the continued labor shortage.
California reported the most residential construction workers employed in 2016, with over 500,000 construction employees, making up about 3 percent of the state employed labor force. Florida registered the second highest residential construction employment, with 361,000 construction employees in 2016.
New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona continue to be the slowest states to recover from the housing bust, all registering more than 40 percent below their employment numbers in 2006.
