The construction industry had 292,000 job openings on the last day of December, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (Washington, D.C.) analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 8,000 in December and were up by 87,000 from the same time last year.
“This ... paints a slightly more upbeat picture of the construction industry’s labor force dynamics,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said. “The hiring rate rebounded from the historical lows seen in October and November, and industrywide job openings rose to the highest level since July.”
By contrast, as noted by the National Association of Home Builders (Washington, D.C.), the number of open jobs for the overall economy declined as the labor market weakened at the end of 2025, falling from 6.98 million in November to 6.54 million in December.
That said, “demand for construction workers remains subdued, as has been the case for several quarters,” Basu added. “Fewer construction workers were hired in 2024 and 2025 than in any two-year period since 2015-2016. This recent weakness has not dampened contractor confidence, and ABC members on net expect to increase their staffing levels over the next six months.”
