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Construction Jobless Rate Dips in Feb., But Industry Sheds Jobs

Basu also said, "The recovery in construction spending ahs been halting to date and therefore occasional setbacks are to be expected." He added that ABC's Construction Backlog Indicator was down in the fourth quarter of 2011, a signal of the February falloff in jobs and an sign that construction's overall employment "is likely to be sluggish in the months ahead."

Construction’s jobless rate remained much worse than the U.S. economy's overall 8.3%. That national rate held steady with January's mark, as the economy added a net 227,000 jobs for February, BLS reported.

ABC's Basu said as the economy as a whole improves, that should assist construction spending. He added, "This should eventually translate into more stable nonresidential construction employment growth later this year."

As ENR's former Washington Bureau Chief, Tom Ichniowski wrote about the federal government since the George H.W. Bush administration, and covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

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