Construction employment is on an upward path and that’s both good and bad. By extension, if jobs increase, so does the need for workers. And that’s the continued challenge for the industry: contractors are beating the bushes for skilled labor to meet their labor needs. Construction employment rose from April 2022 to April 2023 in 42 states and the District of Columbia. While the numbers declined in seven states, they held their own in Hawaii. For the month of April 2023, construction employment increased in 24 states and D.C. Hiring declined in 26 states. Washington added the most jobs over the month, at 4,300; Illinois added 2,700; Wisconsin, 2,600; and California, 2,100. The construction sector shed 9,000 jobs that month, the first decrease since January 2022. This happened even as the sector’s unemployment rate fell and total number of job openings in the sector hit a near-record high, according to AGC. Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees in construction jumped by 6.7 percent over the year to $33.94 per hour.
https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/construction-jobs-picture-looks-bright-but-where-are-the-workers/61298