US construction jobs hit 3½-year high

Preliminary figures from the US Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS) show employment in the construction sector was at its highest since September 2009 last month at 5.78 million jobs. According to the figures, some 48,000 jobs were added in the industry in the month of February, from the 5.74 million employed in January.

Commenting on the increase, Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) chief economist, Ken Simonson said, “With construction employment increasing by the latest amount for a single month in nearly six years, the steady improvement in construction hiring is particularly encouraging. The job gains are coming from every part of the construction industry and while the sector’s unemployment rate remains stubbornly high, it is heading in the right direction.”

According to the BLS figures, the low point in US construction industry employment came in January 2011, with 5.44 million jobs. Industry employment has grown since then, with some lulls in the winter months, and the latest provisional figures for February indicate a +6.4% increase from the low point.

However, at its peak in 2006 and 2007, there were some 7.77 million people employed in the IUS construction industry – some 2 million , or 34% more than the current level.