26,000 Construction Jobs Added in September

Construction employment increased by 26,000 jobs in September, according to the Associated General Contractors of America, bringing the total to 7.2 million.

The unemployment rate was 7.1% for the month, more than double September 2019’s 3.2% rate, and an estimated 700,000 former construction workers are idled. 

The employment gains for the month were concentrated in the housing sector.

“Construction is becoming steadily more split between a robust residential component and generally stagnant private nonresidential and public construction activity,” Ken Simonson, the AGC’s chief economist, said in a statement.

Since June, residential construction employment has increased nearly 3%, while nonresidential employment has dropped 0.2%.