There were 364,000 construction job openings at the end of February, the highest number since 2001 and a 52% increase compared with February 2021, an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America showed.
There were 364,000 construction job openings at the end of February, the highest number since 2001 and a 52% increase compared with February 2021, an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America showed.
There were 342,000 construction employees hired during the month, which would have been doubled if more employees had been available for available positions, according to AGC.
“Contractors have been adding workers as fast as they can find them,” stated Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. “But there just aren’t enough qualified workers available in many states, as shown by the record number of construction job openings in February.”
Construction employment exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 32 states in March, according to the same AGC report.
Compared with February 2020, the last month before the COVID-19 pandemic sent construction employment numbers into a tailspin, 32 states recorded construction employment increases in March, while 16 states reported declines and two—Nevada and Wyoming—remained unchanged.
New York shed the most construction jobs since February 2020, losing 29,600 jobs, a 7.2% decline. Utah added the most construction jobs since February 2020 with 15,000, a 13.2% jump.
The full AGC report can be found here.
