The construction industry added 2,000 jobs between March and April to a total of 7.6 million, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.
The construction employment gains slowed from a surge of 19,000 construction jobs added between February and March.
“The pause in employment gains last month most likely signifies a shortage of qualified workers, rather than any slowdown in demand for projects,” stated Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist.
At the end of March, there were 415,000 construction industry job openings, a surge of 20% compared with March 2021 and the largest for any month since the series began in 2000, according to AGC.
The unemployment rate among construction workers fell from 7.7% in April 2021 to 4.6%, the lowest April rate in 22 years. The number of unemployed construction workers fell by 40% to 464,000, also a 22-year low.
Employment in residential construction rose by 3,800, while employment at nonresidential construction firms declined by 2,000, the first decline in that segment in eight months.
The full AGC report can be found here.
