ABC Reports Record Rebound in Construction Job Openings for August

The construction industry saw a significant recovery in job openings in August, with 370,000 available positions, according to an analysis by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

The number of job openings surged by 138,000 from July but remains 16,000 below August 2022 levels.

“Construction job openings rebounded sharply in August, exhibiting the largest one-month increase on record,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu, said.

“Much of this surge is likely due to the effects of Hurricane Beryl on July’s job openings data. Despite this bounce back, industrywide job openings are still down 19% since hitting a cyclical peak in February, a reflection of moderating activity in the face of high interest rates and economic uncertainty. Even so, labor still remains scarce, especially for certain occupations, and many contractors still intend to increase their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.”