The construction industry reported 202,000 job openings on the last day of February, marking the slowest hire rate on record, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. February’s construction job openings fell by 28,000 month-over-month and 53,000 year-over-year.
“Construction hiring fell to the slowest rate on record in February,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said. “At the same time, contractors remained reluctant to lay off workers while employees were even more reluctant to leave. The combination of historically slow hiring and exceedingly few separations made February 2026 the month with the least construction labor force churn since the BLS began this survey in December 2000.
“Of course, this data pertains to February, when the Strait of Hormuz was open and the price of oil was under $100 per barrel,” Basu added. “While contractors continue to express optimism regarding their staffing intentions, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, recent data and developments suggest that hiring is unlikely to rebound in the near future.”
JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting.
For more information, visit abc.org.
