The construction industry added 9,000 jobs in April—the fewest since August 2022—as a downturn among residential remodelers and subcontractors undercut job gains at nonresidential construction firms, according to an analysis of new government data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials noted that demand for workers remains high among nonresidential firms, and they urged government officials to enhance support for career development and more employment-based immigration.
“It appears that high interest rates are dragging down remodeling, homebuilding, and apartment construction,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But firms working on infrastructure, data centers, renewable energy, and manufacturing projects are continuing to add workers and would like to hire more.”
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