The number of construction job openings held steady in July, as hiring in the home building sector have slowed. According to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) and NAHB analysis, the number of open construction sector jobs remained constant at 137,000 for July. Slightly lower than the high of 168,000 set during March.
According to NAHB on a three-month moving average basis, the open position rate for the industry held constant at 2.1% for July. The open rate has been trending upward since 2012, with the current three-month moving average near the cycle high set during May (2.4%).
Credit: NAHB
The construction sector hiring rate fell to 4.9% in July, a pattern of decline that began in March. The quits rate for construction held at 1.7% in July.
Total employment in home building/remodeling stands at 2.46 million, broken down as 694,000 builders and 1.761 million residential specialty trade contractors.
Credit: NAHB
Over the last 12 months home builders and remodelers have added 111,000 jobs. Since the low point of industry employment following the Great Recession, residential construction has gained 469,400 positions.
