Construction Job Openings Surge to Record High

Trends
Published

The labor market continues to tighten, especially for the construction industry.

The count of open construction jobs increased to 410,000 unfilled positions in October, the highest measure in the history of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics data series (going back to late 2000).

The housing market remains underbuilt and requires additional labor, lots, and lumber and building materials to add inventory.

The job openings rate in construction surged to 5.4% in October, with 410,000 open positions in the sector. This is significantly higher than the 253,000 count recorded a year ago.

Looking forward, the construction job openings rate is likely to see increased upward pressure as both the residential and nonresidential construction sectors trend higher. Attracting skilled labor will remain a key objective for construction firms in the coming quarters and will become more challenging as the labor market strengthens and the unemployment rate declines.

NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz provides more analysis in this Eye on Housing blog post.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Land Development | Advocacy

Aug 29, 2025

Mapping Impact Fee Statutes Across the U.S.

NAHB has developed a new state-by-state map of impact fee enabling statutes designed to give builders, policymakers and housing advocates a clearer picture of where and how these fees are authorized across the country.

Material Costs

Aug 29, 2025

NAHB's Monthly Update Features Canadian Lumber Duties Talking Points

The update provides the latest messaging framework to help members articulate housing priorities and latest news related to the Canadian lumber imports and builder sentiment.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Aug 29, 2025

Multifamily Absorption Rises in the Second Quarter

The percentage of new apartment units that were absorbed within three months after completion rose in the second quarter, according to the Census Bureau’s latest release of the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA).

Economics

Aug 28, 2025

Mortgage Rates Move Lower, Hitting 10-Month Low

Average mortgage rates in August continued their steady decline and are now at their lowest rate since last November.

Economics

Aug 27, 2025

Wood-Framed Home Share Increased in 2024

Wood framing continues to dominate the U.S. single-family home construction market, according to NAHB analysis of 2024 Census Bureau data.