Construction employment increased by 1,000 jobs in November and by 146,000, or 2.0 percent, over the past 12 months, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
“Contractors report they remain busy and have lots of projects on their order books,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But they find it extremely difficult to fill many positions despite paying more than other industries. That’s not surprising, given that the total unemployment rate returned to a 50-year low in November—a sign that all industries are competing for workers.”
According to Simonson, the average weekly hours for all employees in construction increased from 38.7 in November 2018 to 39.1 in 2019, even though employment rose by 2.0 percent over the year.
“One takeaway from these numbers is that contractors are adding workers faster than other sectors, but they are eager to hire even more people to keep pace with strong demand for projects,” Simonson said in a press release “To make up for the shortfall, many firms are asking workers to put in more hours.”
Average hourly earnings in construction increased 2.7 percent over the year to $31.08.
Association officials said congress and the Trump administration should address construction labor shortages by passing the JOBs Act, boosting funding for career and technical education, and enacting immigration reform measures.
Source: AGC