ABC: Construction Job Openings Rise to 10-Month High in May, Hiring Remains Historically Slow

WASHINGTON, June 30-The construction industry had 298,000 job openings on the last day of May, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 32,000 last month and are up by 76,000 from the same time last year.

"Construction job openings rose to a 10-month high in May," said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. "Unfortunately, that increase likely reflects exceptional demand for certain occupations critical to data center buildouts, like electricians, rather than increased industrywide demand for labor.

"The construction hiring rate fell sharply in May and, at 3.5%, matches February's all-time low," said Basu. "Rising layoff activity and a falling quit rate also suggest that demand for construction labor weakened in May. Despite these signs, contractors remain optimistic about growing their staffing levels, according to ABC's Construction Confidence Index."