Current Employment Statistics (CES2000000001) · Construction, seasonally adjusted
How many jobs are there in construction?
The number of jobs in construction was 8,364 thousand in the month ended , up 1.3% from a year earlier (preliminary).
Jobs in construction, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Jobs in construction, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Jobs in construction, in thousands | 8,364 thousand | 8,353 thousand | 8,255 thousand | 7,484 thousand | 6,768 thousand |
| Change over a year | +1.3% | +1.4% | 0.0% | +3.2% | +4.0% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The number of jobs in construction was 8,364 thousand in September 2026, the highest since our record begins in January 1939.
Over a year it is up 1.3% (ours). The source marks this value preliminary.
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 8,353 thousand in | +0.1% |
| Three months | 8,319 thousand in | +0.5% |
| Twelve months | 8,255 thousand in | +1.3% |
| Five years | 7,484 thousand in | +11.8% |
| Ten years | 6,768 thousand in | +23.6% |
In historyOurs
The number of jobs in construction of 8,364 thousand in was higher than in 1,052 of the 1,052 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 0.
Highest since : 8,364 thousand in . Lowest since : 1,036 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 4,626.3 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 1,053 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the number of jobs in construction is up 1.3%, which ranks 4 of the 35 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the number of jobs in construction beside the industries on the jobs by industry page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Inside itOurs
Of the 3 industries inside construction that BLS reports, the change over a year was largest for heavy and civil engineering construction, up 2.2%, and smallest for specialty trade contractors, up 1.1% (ours).
Openings and turnoverJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
In August 2026 the survey counted, for construction, 251 thousand job openings, 308 thousand hires, 152 thousand quits and 99 thousand layoffs and discharges.
Over a year the counts are job openings up 17.8%, hires down 8.3%, quits up 1.3% and layoffs and discharges down 45.6% (ours).
Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in construction
- Job openings251135 to 457
- Hires308243 to 754
- Quits15294 to 251
- Layoffs and discharges9999 to 710
Each row is one measure of the second survey for construction, in thousands over the last ten years, one month to a point, on one scale, with its newest value and its range printed beside it. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Understanding the number of jobs in construction
Where it stands today
The number of jobs in construction was 8,364 thousand in September 2026.
What does the number of jobs in construction measure?
Construction covers building houses and other buildings, heavy and civil engineering work such as roads, bridges and pipelines, and the specialty trades, such as electricians, plumbers and roofers, who work on them.
Read more
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts these jobs each month in a survey of employers, the Current Employment Statistics, and publishes them in the Employment Situation report at the start of the next month. The count is all employees on payrolls, in thousands, seasonally adjusted.
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, how the change over a year ranks among the lines of the jobs by industry page, the industries inside it with their own change over a year. For this industry it also shows the job openings, hires, quits and layoffs from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), a second BLS survey, beside the count of jobs.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the number of jobs in construction in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1939
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 8,364 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 8,353 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 8,337 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 8,319 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 8,316 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 8,314 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 8,311 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 8,296 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 8,317 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 8,272 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 8,279 thousand | +0.1% | |
| 8,243 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 8,255 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 8,239 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 8,261 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 8,267 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 8,269 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 8,271 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 8,273 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 8,267 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 8,264 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 8,276 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 8,267 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 8,262 thousand | +2.3% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 8,254 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 8,236 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 8,208 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 8,196 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 8,176 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 8,170 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 8,164 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 8,132 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 8,123 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 8,100 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 8,088 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 8,080 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 8,053 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 8,042 thousand | +3.1% | |
| 8,016 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 8,006 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 7,965 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 7,955 thousand | +3.3% | |
| 7,926 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 7,943 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 7,932 thousand | +4.4% | |
| 7,885 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 7,863 thousand | +4.0% | |
| 7,847 thousand | +4.4% | |
| 7,832 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 7,801 thousand | +5.0% | |
| 7,792 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 7,761 thousand | +5.0% | |
| 7,738 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 7,698 thousand | +4.0% | |
| 7,692 thousand | +4.0% | |
| 7,651 thousand | +5.1% | |
| 7,595 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 7,595 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 7,562 thousand | +3.3% | |
| 7,518 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 7,484 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 7,432 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 7,425 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 7,393 thousand | +3.3% | |
| 7,391 thousand | +5.5% | |
| 7,400 thousand | +13.5% | |
| 7,399 thousand | −1.9% | |
| 7,278 thousand | −4.4% | |
| 7,362 thousand | −2.8% | |
| 7,357 thousand | −2.3% | |
| 7,321 thousand | −2.9% | |
| 7,301 thousand | −3.3% | |
| 7,253 thousand | −3.9% | |
| 7,226 thousand | −4.0% | |
| 7,196 thousand | −4.4% | |
| 7,159 thousand | −4.6% | |
| 7,004 thousand | −6.3% | |
| 6,522 thousand | −12.7% | |
| 7,541 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 7,610 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 7,575 thousand | +2.0% | |
| 7,527 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 7,541 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 7,553 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 7,547 thousand | +2.3% | |
| 7,530 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 7,526 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 7,502 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 7,478 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 7,468 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 7,425 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 7,395 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 7,425 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 7,396 thousand | +4.3% | |
| 7,386 thousand | +4.5% | |
| 7,389 thousand | +5.1% | |
| 7,375 thousand | +5.2% | |
| 7,347 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 7,318 thousand | +5.0% | |
| 7,292 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 7,274 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 7,212 thousand | +4.3% | |
| 7,194 thousand | +4.2% | |
| 7,184 thousand | +4.4% | |
| 7,093 thousand | +3.7% | |
| 7,091 thousand | +4.0% | |
| 7,068 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 7,031 thousand | +3.4% | |
| 7,013 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 7,002 thousand | +3.9% | |
| 6,968 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 6,962 thousand | +3.9% | |
| 6,931 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 6,916 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 6,902 thousand | +3.4% | |
| 6,881 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 6,840 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 6,818 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 6,823 thousand | +3.4% | |
| 6,799 thousand | +3.8% |
How does it compare with the industries on the jobs by industry page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 23,959 thousand | +2.2% | 1 | |
| Private education and health | 28,005 thousand | +1.9% | 2 | |
| Utilities | 612 thousand | +1.7% | 3 | |
| Construction (this page) | 8,364 thousand | +1.3% | 4 | |
| Durable goods | 7,898 thousand | +1.1% | 5 | |
| Professional, scientific, technical | 10,844 thousand | +0.8% | 6 | |
| Accommodation and food services | 14,310 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Goods-producing | 21,623 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Other services | 6,039 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Professional and business services | 22,482 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Administrative, support, waste | 9,019 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Private service-providing | 114,094 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Total private | 135,717 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Leisure and hospitality | 16,969 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Wholesale trade | 6,078 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Local government | 15,173 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Manufacturing | 12,652 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Mining and logging | 607 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Service-providing | 137,421 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Total nonfarm | 159,044 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Retail trade | 15,480 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Trade, transportation, utilities | 28,778 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Mining, oil and gas extraction | 567 thousand | +0.1% | 23 | |
| Private education | 4,046 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6,609 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Management of companies | 2,620 thousand | −0.3% | 26 | |
| State government | 5,472 thousand | −0.5% | 27 | |
| Real estate, rental, leasing | 2,438 thousand | −0.6% | 28 | |
| Government | 23,327 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Nondurable goods | 4,754 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Financial activities | 9,082 thousand | −1.2% | 31 | |
| Finance and insurance | 6,645 thousand | −1.4% | 32 | |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,659 thousand | −1.6% | 33 | |
| Information | 2,739 thousand | −4.2% | 34 | |
| Federal government | 2,682 thousand | −8.0% | 35 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Which industries are inside construction?Newest month of each industry
| Industry | Month | Count | Share | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction of buildings | 1,873 thousand | 22.4% | +1.5% | 2 | |
| Heavy and civil engineering construction | 1,211 thousand | 14.5% | +2.2% | 1 | |
| Specialty trade contractors | 5,280 thousand | 63.1% | +1.1% | 3 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
How many job openings, hires, quits and layoffs were there in construction?Newest month of each measure
| Measure | Month | Count | Rate | Change over a year | Where the count stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings (preliminary) | 251 thousand | 2.9% | +17.8% | the lowest since March 2026 | |
| Hires (preliminary) | 308 thousand | 3.7% | −8.3% | the lowest since May 2026 | |
| Quits (preliminary) | 152 thousand | 1.8% | +1.3% | the highest since May 2025 | |
| Layoffs and discharges (preliminary) | 99 thousand | 1.2% | −45.6% | the lowest since our record begins in December 2000 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- BLS counts jobs, not people: a person with two jobs on two payrolls is counted twice. Farm jobs, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, private household workers and members of the military are not counted.
- The count comes from a survey of employers, so each month's value carries sampling error. BLS revises each month twice in the two months after it is first published, and each February it benchmarks the series to a full count of jobs from unemployment insurance tax records and revises earlier values, so past values on this page can change.
- BLS publishes this series from 1939.
- The job openings, hires, quits and layoffs come from JOLTS, a separate survey of employers that BLS holds from December 2000 and publishes about a month after the payroll counts, so its newest month can be an earlier month than the count of jobs.
- The counts of the industries inside it are shown in whole thousands, but BLS publishes those series to one decimal, so the changes, the ranks and the shares, which are ours and worked out from the values as BLS publishes them, can differ in their last place from those worked out from the values as shown.
- The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes; a change is in percent.
Observed . Checked .
Observed .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Construction, seasonally adjusted, through September 2026, with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, through August 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many jobs are there in construction?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-by-industry/construction.
Can the data be downloaded?jobs-by-industry-construction.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 1,053 rows, to , 18,328 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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