The U.S. construction industry recorded 383,000 unfilled jobs in April, up 68,000 from the previous month, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday.
In spite of multiple economic challenges, demand for construction workers remains elevated, said Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors. “There are signs that higher interest rates have dampened demand for construction services, especially in the residential segment, yet contractors continue to struggle to fill open positions,” Basu said in a press release.
In April, 4.6% of positions went unfilled, according to the BLS, a much higher rate than the pre-pandemic average rate of 2.2%, Basu noted. But that isn’t just a construction problem. Nationwide, there were 10.1 million job openings in April, which means there are roughly 1.7 jobs per unemployed American, according to Yahoo Finance.
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