Employment in the construction industry grew by 14,000 jobs last year, a net increase of only 0.2%, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by Associated Builders and Contractors. That includes the loss of 11,000 jobs on net in December.
Nonresidential construction employment decreased by 7,800 positions on net, with losses in two of the three subcategories. Heavy and civil engineering added 2,300 jobs, while nonresidential specialty trade and nonresidential building lost 8,900 and 1,200 jobs, respectively.
“Excluding the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, that’s the worst 12-month performance since 2011, when the construction industry was still spiraling from the Great Recession,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said. “While the nonresidential side of the industry performed significantly better over the past year, even that segment’s momentum has started to wane. Nonresidential specialty trade contractors, demand for which led the industry in 2025, posted its worst month in nearly four years, losing 8,900 jobs in December.”
Those numbers were released shortly after ABC reported that the construction industry had 292,000 job openings on the last day of November, according to the organization's analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). As defined by JOLTS, a job opening is any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 90,000 during November and were up by 15,000 from the same time in 2024.
While contractors remain optimistic about hiring over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, recent declines in backlog, ongoing declines in construction spending and December’s job losses suggest it could be a difficult start to 2026 for the industry, Basu added.
