Dive Brief:
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The construction industry had fewer unfilled jobs in June than in May, but the number of open positions remained high, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Wednesday.
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Contractors had 143,000 unfilled jobs on their books in June, down from 163,000 in May and 168,000 in March, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.
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Builders are doing their best to fill those vacancies, increasing hiring industrywide over the past year — although it has waned somewhat over the past few months in the residential sector, according to a National Association of Home Builders analysis of the data. The rate of employees who voluntarily quit construction jobs declined slightly in June, the BLS reported.
Dive Insight:
In an industry that lost an estimated 2.3 million jobs — more than 40% of its work force — during the housing bust and recession, construction firms are having a hard time luring qualified workers back to the field to fill vacant positions.
The construction unemployment rate, which has been steadily declining since reaching a peak of 22% in February 2010, dipped to 6.5% in June, leaving few construction workers available to take the 119,000 jobs the industry has created over the past year.
Builders have said the lack of available labor is a top business challenge. In a June survey by the NAHB, for example, 69% of builders reported a shortage of carpenters. The Associated General Contractors of America has reported that 84% of construction firms are struggling to fill jobs for carpenters, laborers and equipment operators.
