Construction Employment at a 10-Year High

Construction employment is at a 10-year high and industry unemployment is at an all-time low, according to a new analysis of government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. The industry added 23,000 jobs in August and 297,000 jobs over the past year.

Construction employment in August totaled 7,259,000, the highest level since May 2008 and a gain of 4.3 percent over the past 12 months. AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson noted that the year-over-year growth rate in industry jobs was more than double the 1.6 percent rise in total nonfarm payroll employment. The unemployment rate for workers with construction experience was 3.4 percent, matching the all-time low set in July.