Construction's stubbornly high unemployment rate bounced upward in July to 18.2%, from 17.4% in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The industry's jobless rate last month also was well above the 8.0% level posted in July 2008.
In its latest monthly employment report, released Aug. 7, BLS said construction lost another 76,000 jobs in July, adjusted for seasonal variations, compared with average losses of 73,000 over the past three months. The industry has shed more than 1.3 million jobs since the recession began.