Economics
Construction Job Openings Rebound Following 'Historic Low'
Economist described industry hiring as "extremely subdued"
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Associated Builders and Contractors
Job openings in the construction industry rose 23,000 in March, when compared to February, according to data from the recently released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. The increase brought the total number of construction job openings to 224,000, which was 54,000 lower than the number reported in March 2025.
“The industry’s labor market continues to be defined by an utter lack of churn,” Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors, said in a statement. “Construction industry hiring rebounded from February’s historically low level but remains extremely subdued.”
Month-over-month, hires increased 14,000 while total separations—including layoffs, discharges, quits and other departures—increased by 8,000. Since March of last year, however, separations have declined by 32,000 while hires have risen by just 8,000 jobs.
“Contractors also remain reluctant to fire workers; the layoff/discharge rate fell to the slowest pace since early 2024 and is lower than at any point prior to 2022,” said Basu. “At the same time, workers are also reluctant to quit compared to the prevailing trend of the late 2010s and early 2020s.”
Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics?
Try Ask ENR, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask ENR →
