Dive Brief:
- April’s job openings data points at a steadfast construction labor market where employers face staffing hurdles and cling to the workers they have amid a large gap in demand.
- The industry counted 259,000 open jobs on the last day of April, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Tuesday, a 10.6% month-to-month leap and a 25% increase year over year. The mark was the highest in the job openings data thus far in 2026.
- Construction economists pointed to a low layoff rate amid the rising gap of open positions, indicating that employers in the industry remain reluctant to let staff go, even in the face of a slower market.
Dive Insight:
All told, 3% of construction jobs went unfilled in April.
“This release of April data suggests that contractors are increasingly struggling to fill open positions,” Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors, said in a release. “Fewer construction workers were laid off in April than in any month since the first half of 2022, and industrywide job openings, while still relatively low by historical standards, are up more than 25% over the past year.”
Contractors laid off 128,000 workers in April, a drop of 22,000 from March. The month also saw 47,000 fewer layoffs from April 2025,
“These dynamics likely stem from immigration policy and the shrinking number of undocumented workers, as well as acute shortages of certain trades workers, including those involved in data center construction,” Basu said. “While contractors remain broadly optimistic about increasing their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, labor availability is unlikely to improve over the short term.”
Indeed, Macrina Wilkins, director of market insights for the Associated General Contractors of America, told Construction Dive the data indicates firms are taking a measured approach to their headcount.
“Overall, the data point to a labor market that remains relatively stable,” Wilkins said. “Contractors appear interested in hiring when they can find the right workers, but they are proceeding carefully amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding tariffs, construction costs, interest rates, and broader economic and geopolitical developments that could affect project demand.”
