The construction unemployment rate increased to 4.2% in October, while the overall unemployment rate across all industries remained steady at 4.1%.

WASHINGTON, DC — The construction sector added a net total of 8,000 jobs in October, according to an analysis by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Year-over-year, employment in the industry has risen by 223,000 jobs, reflecting a growth rate of 2.8%.

Nonresidential construction saw a net increase of 13,500 jobs, with two out of three subcategories experiencing growth. The nonresidential specialty trade sector contributed the most, adding 14,300 positions. In contrast, nonresidential building added a modest 300 jobs, while the heavy and civil engineering segment saw a decrease of 1,100 jobs last month.

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“October’s employment report was severely distorted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” stated ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “As a result, employers across all industries were estimated to have added just 12,000 jobs, the fewest in any month since the economy lost jobs in December 2020. Importantly, the separate survey that produces the unemployment rate was not affected by the storms and indicates that the jobless rate remained stable at 4.1% in October.”

“Despite the underwhelming and heavily distorted economywide data, this jobs report indicates that the construction industry added jobs for the fifth straight month,” Basu added. “Over the past year, the construction sector has added jobs at exactly twice the rate of the broader economy, and growth has been even faster in the nonresidential segment. With contractors on net expecting their staffing levels to increase over the next two quarters, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, it appears likely that industry payrolls will continue to expand through at least the early months of 2025.”

For further details, including the Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index, visit abc.org/economics, where you can find analysis on spending, employment, job openings, and the Producer Price Index.