Construction's unemployment rate declined in October to 11.4% from September's 11.9%, as the industry recorded a gain of 17,000 jobs in the month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest monthly report. Any impacts on the job market from rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy would not start to be reflected until November's statistics. Stephen Sandherr, Associated General Contractors' CEO, said overall construction employment is not expected to show a major net change because of the hurricane. He said, "Even as some firms pick up work repairing damaged buildings and infrastructure, other firms will suffer as previously planned projects are cancelled or delayed." The BLS October numbers for construction sectors show that specialty trade contractors added 16,800 jobs in the month. Anirban Basu, Associated Builders and Contractors chief economist, says the construction jobs report was "surprisingly good" and called non-residential specialty firms' pickup in jobs "a reversal of fortune."