Construction Job Openings Approach 400,000

Workforce Development
Published

The construction labor market remains tight, approaching an all-time high, as the industry sees a rising number of job openings year-over-year.

The count of open construction jobs increased slightly to 396,000 unfilled positions in March from a 383,000 rate in February. This is significantly higher than the 336,000 count recorded a year ago. The job openings rate in construction remained elevated at 4.9% in March.

The highest measure in the history of the data series (going back to late 2000) was 416,000 open jobs in April 2019. The housing market remains underbuilt and requires additional labor, lots and lumber and building materials to add inventory.

Looking forward, the construction job openings rate is likely to see increased upward pressure as both the residential and nonresidential construction sectors expand. 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

PWB Week | Professional Women in Building Council

Sep 15, 2025

The Impact of the Professional Women in Building Leadership Grant

Professional Women in Building's annual scholarhsip programs provide students and emerging professionals with the resources, support and opportunities they need to thrive and lead the housing industry.

Associate Members Committee | Awards

Sep 15, 2025

Associate Award Winners Share Meaning Behind Their Win

NAHB is excited to award two of the association's top Associate contributors each year for their achievements. Two previous winners reflect on their experiences.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Sep 12, 2025

Household Real Estate Asset Values Reach New High

The market value of household real estate assets rose to $49.3 trillion in the second quarter of 2025, according to the most recent release of U.S. Federal Reserve Z.1 Financial Accounts. The value rose by 2.7% from the first quarter and is 1.1% higher than a year ago. This measure of market value estimates the value of all owner-occupied real estate nationwide.

Economics

Sep 11, 2025

Parking Trends in Newly Completed Single-Family Homes, 2024

In 2024, 65% of newly completed single-family homes featured two-car garages, according to NAHB’s analysis of the Census’s Survey of Construction data. The share of new homes with three or more car garages stood at 15%, continuing a downward trend from its peak of 24% in 2015 and decreasing 2 percentage points from 2023.

Economics

Sep 10, 2025

Year-over-Year Building Material Price Growth Advances

Price growth for residential building materials rose for the fourth straight month in August, reaching its highest level since January 2023. Across domestic inputs goods and services into residential construction, service prices decreased in August while goods prices slightly advanced.