Dive Brief:
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Construction companies created 48,000 new jobs in December, ending the year with 290,000 more positions more than it started with, according to Associated General Contractors of America.
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Employment gains in nonresidential construction outpaced new jobs in homebuilding. Nonresidential contractors added 34,000 positions in December. Other big gains showed up in the heavy and civil engineering construction segment and in public works construction. Residential and specialty trade contractors added a combined 13,500 employees last month.
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The unemployment rate in the construction sector overall dipped to 8.3% in December. Construction employment stands at more than 6.1 million, the highest since March 2009, AGC reported.
Dive Insight:
Still, an awful lot of those jobs remain unstaffed as construction employers continue to struggle to fill vacancies.
AGC’s chief economist, Ken Simonson, predicted an especially acute need in the coming months for workers to build apartments, pipelines, and large industrial projects. The labor shortage continues to be one of the most important trends to keep an eye on in the industry.