The number of job openings in construction dropped from August to September, but the September total remains higher than last year at that time. This is consistent with the steady increase of open construction jobs since post-Great Recession, but the upward trend may change as the housing market growth slows down.
Data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) indicate that construction job openings increased in September on a year-over-year basis. The estimated number of job openings declined from the August total to 338,000 in September, after reaching a post-Great Recession high of 434,000 in April. The September 2019 count of unfilled jobs represents a year-over-year gain relative to the 299,000 estimated unfilled construction jobs in September 2018.
