Dive Brief:

• Whether it was the weather, something in the economy or both, employment in the construction sector rose by 15,000 jobs last month, well less than January, according to federal figures released Friday.
• Associated Builders and Contractors was particularly disappointed with an increase of 400 jobs in nonresidential construction because a 3,300-job drop in general construction ate up most of a 3,700-job gain in nonresidential specialty employment.
• January had seen an increase of 26,600 jobs in construction overall..

Dive Insight:

March may show whether miserable winter weather in a large portion of the country was behind the employment showing or if there's something else at work as well. The unemployment rate in construction went up from 12.3% in January to 12.8% last month, but having more people looking for work because they think there is a chance of finding it now is a good sign.