- April 25, 2024
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from: AGC, the Construction Association
Construction employment in the U.S. climbed by 60,000 jobs between January and February as hourly pay rose at the steepest pace in nearly 40 years, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released recently. Association leaders urged officials in Washington to boost support for career training and education to enable more workers to pursue high-paying construction careers.
“All segments of construction added workers in February,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “However, filling positions remains a struggle, as pay is rising even faster in other sectors.”
Average hourly earnings for “production and nonsupervisory employees”—largely, hourly craft workers, in the case of construction—increased 6% from February 2021 to last month. That was the steepest 12-month increase since December 1982, Simonson noted.
The industry average of $31.62 per hour for such workers exceeded the private sector average by 17%, the economist pointed out. Nevertheless, the average for the entire private sector climbed even more in February — 6.7% year-over-year — and the competition for workers has intensified as other industries offer working conditions that are not possible in construction, such as flexible hours or work from home.
The number of unemployed jobseekers with construction experience shrank by 26% over the past year, from February 2021 to 677,000 in February 2022. Simonson said the decline is further evidence that the industry will have a hard time filling positions with experienced workers.
View the construction employment table and chart of average hourly earnings.
