Construction Labor Force Churn Accelerates in January

WASHINGTON, DC — The construction industry had 236,000 job openings on the last day of January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released March 11 in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 31,000 last month but are down by 171,000 from the same time last year.

“While construction job openings remained subdued in January, industrywide labor force churn increased meaningfully,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Both hires and separations—including layoffs, discharges and quits—accelerated to the fastest rate since the first half of 2024. Yes, recent construction spending data and investor caution in the face of volatile trade policy represent a cause for concern, but nearly 6 in 10 contractors expect their staffing levels to grow over the next several months, according toABC’s Construction Confidence Index. That, along with healthy industrywide job growth in February, suggests job openings should continue to trend higher in the coming months.”

Visit abc.org/economics for the Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index, plus analysis of spending, employment, job openings and the Producer Price Index.