• When the national unemployment rate went down in the latest report, commentators were quick to note that people giving up hope of finding jobs makes the calculation look better, even if it isn't good news.
• Like the economy overall, the construction industry looked better in the August numbers, dropping from 12.3% in July unemployment to 11.3%, but federal data showed only about 1,000 new jobs. The big change was in the denominator of the fraction – the number of people trying to work.
• Associated Builders and Contractors' comment was that the change in the rate “seemed to be a pleasant surprise” but "is largely due to former construction workers moving to other industries or leaving the workforce." Associated General Contractors explained that more than 700,000 people have given up on the construction industry since 2009 – 214,000 in the past year alone.

From the article:

Construction’s unemployment rate continued to head downward in August, dipping to 11.3% from July’s 12.3%, but the industry posted a gain of just 1,000 jobs last month. ...