Meanwhile, builders and specialty trade contractors in the residential sector collectively shed an estimated 10,400 positions during April, with specialty firms responsible for an estimated 8,900 of those job cuts. 

Heavy and civil engineering construction contractors collectively reported an estimated gain of 800 jobs.

“Construction employment expanded modestly in April, but that’s largely due to weakness on the residential side of the industry,” Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors of America, said in a press release.

While noting the nonresidential construction sector's steadily rising employment over the past year, Basu said: "This strength can be traced to surging data center construction spending, which is up 34% over the past year [and] also helps explain why ABC member expectations for hiring remain elevated, according to [the group's] Construction Confidence Index, despite tepid industrywide job growth.”

While also noting continuing demand for data center projects, “construction firms are paying a growing premium to attract enough people to be able to complete data centers and other projects.” commented Macrina Wilkins, director of market insights for the Associated General Contractors of America.

“Data center construction is one of the main reasons the construction industry continues to add jobs and boost wages faster than the overall economy,” added Jeffrey D. Shoaf, the group's CEO. “The more communities do to restrict construction of data centers, the more likely future construction growth will be dampened or even decline.”