According to an analysis of new government data through the Associated General Contractors of America, the construction sector added 25,000 jobs in July.
The report also noted that wage gains once again outpaced increases in the broader economy.
Association officials said the biggest challenge for the industry remains finding sufficient construction workers to match demand and urged public officials to increase support for construction education and training programs.
“The construction industry has maintained a steady pace of employment gains even as job growth has cooled in other sectors,” said AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. “Both residential and nonresidential construction firms are adding workers, and the industry’s ‘wage premium’ is growing relative to other sectors.”
In July, construction employment totaled 8,260,000, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 25,000 from June. The sector has added 239,000 positions or 3 percent during the past year, nearly double the 1.6 percent increase for total nonfarm employment. All types of construction firms recruited employees in July. Nonresidential construction firms added 16,200 employees, including 2,000 at building firms, 11,300 at specialty trade contractors and 2,900 at heavy and civil engineering construction firms.
Average hourly earnings for most onsite craft workers, as well as many office workers, climbed by 4.4 percent over the year to $35.77 per hour. In contrast, overall private sector pay for production workers rose 3.8 percent, to $30.14. That difference in hourly pay constituted a wage “premium” of nearly 19 percent compared to the overall private sector.
Association officials once again noted that the federal government spends four times more each year on four-year degree programs than it does on training and education programs for fields like construction. They urged public officials at all levels of government to push for additional funding for programs that expose workers to career opportunities in fields like construction