BLS Reports Construction Job Openings Hit Low Mark in December
Courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Construction hiring numbers in December reached their lowest levels since April 2020, according to the recently released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The number of open positions at the end of December was estimated at 217,000, a decrease 55,000 jobs from November 2024. By comparison, the number of December’s open positions marks a 50% drop from the 434,000 available jobs in December 2023.
“Despite these signs of weak demand for labor, both layoffs and quits remain extremely low by historical standards,” Anirban Basu, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) chief economist, said in a press release. “It’s possible that the weak demand for construction labor is the effect of cold weather and slowing activity during the transition between presidential administrations.”
However, Basu doesn’t expect this trend to continue. According to the ABC Confidence Index, construction companies are planning to add staff in the coming year, “suggesting that hiring could pick up during the first half of 2025,” he says.
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