WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reported last week that the construction industry grew by 26,000 jobs in September. The Washington, D.C.-based organization reported that most of the gains were in single-family housing, with the subsector adding 22,100 jobs. Employment in the infrastructure and nonresidential building construction sector remained little changed. The AGC also reports that the sector’s unemployment rate stood at 7.1 percent as of the end of September, more than double the rate from September 2019 (3.2 percent). The construction sector has lost 318,000 jobs since September 2019.
According to a survey conducted by the AGC in early September, 38 percent of respondents expect it will take more than six months for their firm’s volume of business to return to normal, relative to September 2019.