Construction’s unemployment rate rose in December to 13.5%, from November’s 12.2%, even with an industry gain of 30,000 jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
The latest monthly BLS employment report, released on Jan. 4, also showed that construction’s jobless rate last month was down from the December 2011 figure of 16.0%. December marked the 27th straight month in which construction posted year-over-year improvement in its unemployment rates.