Quick answer
The headline construction labor shortage statistics for 2026: construction had 298,000 unfilled job openings in September 2026, a 3.4% openings rate, up from 206,000 a year earlier (BLS JOLTS). In the AGC and NCCER survey of July and August 2026, 88% of contractors with craft openings said those jobs were as hard or harder to fill than a year before, and 42% said worker shortages had delayed projects.
Construction labor shortage statistics show an industry that wants more workers than it can find. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), released November 3, 2026, counted 298,000 open construction jobs in September 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary). That is up 44.7% from 206,000 in September 2025 (Workzenly calculation). Contractors confirm the pressure: in the 2026 Workforce Survey by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and NCCER, 87% of firms had openings for hourly craft positions. This page collects the latest construction workforce figures, each linked to its original source.
Construction job openings, hires and quits
JOLTS measures openings employers are actively trying to fill, plus hires and quits, each month. All figures below are seasonally adjusted, and September 2026 figures are preliminary.
- Construction had 298,000 job openings in September 2026, a rate of 3.4%, up from 262,000 (3.0%) in August. (JOLTS Table 1)
- Openings were at 298,000 in June and 299,000 in July 2026 too, so the August dip did not last.
- Construction employers hired 356,000 people in September 2026, a hires rate of 4.3%, against 3.4% for all industries. (JOLTS Table 2)
- 198,000 construction workers quit in September 2026, a quits rate of 2.4%. That was up from 152,000 (1.8%) in August and 127,000 (1.5%) in September 2025. (JOLTS Table 4)
- Workzenly calculation: construction quits rose 55.9% year over year, while quits across all industries rose from 2,990,000 to 3,365,000.
- The construction quits rate (2.4%) was above the all-industry rate (2.1%) in September 2026. A year earlier it was below (1.5% vs 1.9%).
| Construction (JOLTS, SA) | Sept 2025 | Aug 2026 | Sept 2026 (p) | All industries, Sept 2026 (p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings | 206,000 (2.4%) | 262,000 (3.0%) | 298,000 (3.4%) | 7,523,000 (4.5%) |
| Hires | 337,000 (4.1%) | 307,000 (3.7%) | 356,000 (4.3%) | 5,402,000 (3.4%) |
| Quits | 127,000 (1.5%) | 152,000 (1.8%) | 198,000 (2.4%) | 3,365,000 (2.1%) |
Source: BLS, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, Tables 1, 2 and 4, released November 3, 2026. (p) = preliminary.
The openings rate is well below its peak. In September 2022 the construction openings rate hit 5.3%; it fell to 2.4% by September 2025 before rebounding.
What this means for employers: More openings and more quits at the same time means workers have options again. A crew member who leaves in week two costs you the hiring effort and the schedule. Watch your own turnover against the industry rate; our employee turnover statistics page has the comparisons by industry.
What contractors report about the shortage
The best direct read on the shortage comes from contractors themselves. The AGC of America and NCCER 2026 Workforce Survey was conducted in July and August 2026 and released September 3, 2026. A total of 1,830 people from firms of all types and sizes answered at least part of it. It is an industry survey, not a random sample of all contractors.
- 87% of respondents had openings for hourly craft positions, and 82% had openings for salaried positions.
- Among firms with craft openings, 88% said those positions were as hard or harder to fill than a year earlier, including 50% who said harder.
- For salaried openings, 87% said as hard or harder, including 41% who said harder.
- Half of respondents said available candidates are not qualified because they lack needed skills, certificates or licenses.
- 42% said shortages of their own or subcontractors' workers had delayed projects, making it the most cited cause of delays. 74% had at least one significant project delay in the past year.
- Nearly three-quarters expect to add employees in the next 12 months, even though 37% cut headcount by at least 5% in the past 12 months and 34% grew it by at least 5%.
- About 29% reported at least one direct or indirect effect from immigration enforcement in the past six months: 12% said workers left or failed to appear because of actual or rumored immigration actions, and 16% said subcontractors lost workers. The share was 42% in the South and 17% in the Midwest.
- 28% had worked on a data-center project in the past year. Of those, 58% said data centers increased competition for skilled workers and 49% reported more wage pressure.
- More than 8 in 10 firms raised base pay as much as or more than a year earlier, and 36% started or increased spending on training.
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) also publishes an annual estimate of how many workers construction needs to attract. We could not open ABC's release, so its figure is not included here.
What this means for employers: If half the candidates lack the skills you need, the workers you already have are worth keeping. Contractors are answering with pay and training, but small firms can also remove everyday friction: clear schedules, accurate pay for every hour on site, and no disputes over when someone arrived.
Construction employment data
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey counts payroll jobs each month. These figures are from Employment Situation Table B-1, released November 6, 2026, seasonally adjusted. September and October 2026 are preliminary.
- Construction employed 8,367,000 people in October 2026, down 3,000 from September but up 124,000 (1.5%) from October 2025 (Workzenly calculation).
- Specialty trade contractors, such as electricians, plumbers and framers, were the largest part: 5,281,000 jobs.
- Nonresidential specialty trades grew to 2,948,600 from 2,847,500 a year earlier, while residential specialty trades fell to 2,332,400 from 2,368,200.
- Heavy and civil engineering construction employed 1,212,700, and construction of buildings 1,873,500.
- The construction unemployment rate was 3.6% in October 2026, below the 3.9% rate for all workers (not seasonally adjusted). (Table A-14) BLS did not collect October 2025 household data because of the federal government shutdown, so there is no year-ago comparison.
Workzenly calculation: construction payrolls grew by 1,568,000 jobs, or 23.1%, from October 2016 to October 2026. Growth flattened in the past two years: October 2025 was slightly below October 2024.
What this means for employers: The work is shifting toward nonresidential and infrastructure jobs, often larger sites that compete for the same electricians and specialty trades. Residential contractors may find workers easier to hire than commercial firms do. See how other construction teams manage crews across sites.
Construction workforce statistics: age and makeup
The household survey (Current Population Survey, CPS) counts people employed in construction, including the self-employed. These are 2025 annual averages; BLS notes the 2025 averages cover 11 months and exclude October.
- 12,121,000 people were employed in construction in 2025. (CPS Table 18b)
- Their median age was 42.2, almost the same as the 42.1 median for all employed people.
- Workzenly calculation: 2,691,000 construction workers, or 22.2%, were 55 or older, including 702,000 aged 65 and over.
- Only 1,262,000, or 10.4%, were under 25.
- Women were 11.3% of people employed in construction, against 47.1% of all workers. (CPS Table 18)
- Hispanic or Latino workers were 35.4% of construction employment, against 20.0% of all employment.
Why two employment numbers? CES counts 8.4 million payroll jobs at construction employers; CPS counts 12.1 million people who say they work in construction. The gap comes mostly from method: CPS includes the self-employed and independent contractors, and it asks households rather than employers. Neither is wrong, but do not mix them in one calculation.
What this means for employers: More than one in five workers is within about a decade of typical retirement age, and few young people are entering. Each retirement takes skills a new hire will need years to learn. Pair experienced workers with apprentices now, and record who is qualified for what in your HR documents so licenses and certificates do not lapse unnoticed.
Construction wages and hours
Tight labor shows up in pay. These are seasonally adjusted figures from Employment Situation Table B-3, October 2026, preliminary.
- Construction employees averaged $42.03 an hour in October 2026, up from $40.14 in October 2025. Workzenly calculation: a 4.7% increase, against 3.1% for all private employees ($36.85 to $38.00).
- Average weekly earnings in construction were $1,655.98, against $1,307.20 for all private employees.
- Production and nonsupervisory construction employees averaged $39.70 an hour and 40.1 hours a week in October 2026. All construction employees averaged 39.4 hours. (BLS Construction at a Glance)
- Construction laborers were the largest occupation in the construction industry, with 929,760 jobs in May 2025, followed by electricians (599,700) and carpenters (570,980).
- BLS projects about 587,000 openings a year, on average, in construction and extraction occupations from 2025 to 2035, from growth and from replacing workers who leave. Their median annual wage was $59,540 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all occupations. (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook)
| Occupation in construction (May 2025) | Jobs | Median hourly | Mean hourly | Mean annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers | 929,760 | $22.80 | $25.39 | $52,810 |
| Electricians | 599,700 | $29.71 | $33.75 | $70,190 |
| Carpenters | 570,980 | $29.31 | $31.96 | $66,470 |
| Construction managers | 305,170 | $52.48 | $58.31 | $121,290 |
| Operating engineers and equipment operators | 302,290 | $29.71 | $34.02 | $70,760 |
Source: BLS, Construction: NAICS 23, Industries at a Glance, occupational data from Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, for employment within the construction industry.
Union membership in construction was 11.1% of wage and salary workers in 2025, up from 10.3% in 2024, per the same BLS page.
What this means for employers: A construction work week is close to 40 hours on average, so any extra demand quickly becomes overtime. With pay rising faster than elsewhere, every unrecorded hour is a bigger liability. Our overtime statistics and wage theft statistics pages show where wage claims concentrate, and a GPS time clock app keeps a record of each punch and where it happened. Compare options in our roundup of the best GPS time clock apps.
Construction injury and fatality statistics
Safety is part of the labor story: injuries take experienced workers off the job and make recruiting harder.
- The construction industry recorded 1,064 work-related fatalities in 2024, down from 1,099 in 2023. (BLS Construction at a Glance, from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries)
- All industries together recorded 5,070 fatal work injuries in 2024. Workzenly calculation: construction accounted for about 21.0% of them. (BLS CFOI, released February 19, 2026)
- Workers in construction and extraction occupations had 1,032 fatalities in 2024. Fatal falls, slips and trips among them fell 7.5% to 370 from 400 in 2023.
- The construction nonfatal injury and illness rate was 2.2 recordable cases per 100 full-time workers in 2024, and 1.3 cases involved days away from work, job restriction or transfer.
- The rate for all private industry was 2.3 per 100 full-time workers in 2024. (BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, released January 22, 2026)
The industry and occupation fatality counts differ because one counts everyone working for construction firms and the other counts construction and extraction jobs in any industry. BLS also publishes two industry counts: its fatal injuries by industry chart shows 1,034 construction deaths in 2024, while the Construction at a Glance page shows 1,064. We report both as BLS publishes them.
What this means for employers: Construction's reported nonfatal rate is near the private-sector average, but about one in five workplace deaths happens in the industry. Short-staffed crews and long weeks raise risk. Track hours per worker, and keep training records and incident reports where you can find them.
About this data
These construction industry statistics come from five BLS programs and one industry survey. JOLTS is monthly, about five weeks after the reference month; the latest month is preliminary. The Employment Situation (CES payrolls, earnings and hours, and CPS unemployment) is monthly; the latest two months of CES are preliminary. CPS demographic tables are annual averages, published each January. Occupational wages come from OEWS, published each spring for May of the prior year. CFOI and SOII are annual, covering 2024 in the releases used here. The AGC and NCCER Workforce Survey is annual, run each summer.
The sources measure different things. JOLTS and CES ask employers; CPS asks households and includes the self-employed. The AGC survey reflects contractors who chose to respond. Where we compute shares or changes, the text says "Workzenly calculation."
We review these construction labor shortage statistics when new releases come out. Journalists, students and bloggers are welcome to cite it with a link to this page.
More workforce statistics: Workplace injuries statistics · Overtime statistics · Hiring statistics · Wage theft statistics.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, Table 1, Job openings levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted, September 2026, released November 3, 2026. bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t01.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Table 2, Hires levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted, September 2026. bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t02.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Table 4, Quits levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted, September 2026. bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t04.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS series JTS230000000000000JOR, construction job openings rate, 2016 to 2026. data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTS230000000000000JOR
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation, Table B-1, Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, October 2026, released November 6, 2026. bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation, Table B-3, Average hourly and weekly earnings by industry sector, October 2026. bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t19.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation, Table A-14, Unemployed persons by industry and class of worker, October 2026. bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t14.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics series CES2000000001, construction employment, 2016 to 2026. data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES2000000001
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 18b, Employed persons by detailed industry and age, 2025 annual averages. bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18b.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Table 18, Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2025 annual averages. bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Construction: NAICS 23, Industries at a Glance, data extracted November 10, 2026. bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag23.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Construction and Extraction Occupations. bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/home.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2024, released February 19, 2026. bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2024, released January 22, 2026. bls.gov/news.release/osh.nr0.htm
- Associated General Contractors of America and NCCER, 2026 Workforce Survey, national release, September 3, 2026. agc.org (PDF)
Frequently asked questions
How many construction jobs are open in the US?
Construction had 298,000 job openings in September 2026, a job openings rate of 3.4%, according to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released November 3, 2026. The figure is seasonally adjusted and preliminary. A year earlier, in September 2025, there were 206,000 openings.
Is there still a construction labor shortage in 2026?
Contractors say yes. In the AGC of America and NCCER 2026 Workforce Survey, run in July and August 2026, 87% of respondents had openings for hourly craft positions, and 88% of firms with craft openings said those jobs were as hard or harder to fill than a year earlier.
How many people work in construction?
Construction payrolls held 8,367,000 employees in October 2026 (preliminary, seasonally adjusted), according to the BLS Employment Situation. The household survey counts more people, 12.1 million employed in construction in 2025, because it includes the self-employed and counts people rather than payroll jobs.
How old is the average construction worker?
The median age of people employed in construction was 42.2 in 2025, close to the 42.1 median for all workers, according to BLS Current Population Survey annual averages. About 22.2% of construction workers were 55 or older, and 10.4% were under 25 (Workzenly calculation from the same table).
How much do construction workers make per hour?
All construction employees averaged $42.03 an hour in October 2026 (preliminary), compared with $38.00 for all private employees, according to the BLS Employment Situation. Construction laborers, the largest construction occupation, had a median wage of $22.80 an hour in May 2025, per BLS occupational data.
Why are construction projects delayed?
Worker shortages are the most cited cause. In the AGC of America and NCCER 2026 Workforce Survey, 42% of respondents said shortages of their own or subcontractors' workers had delayed projects, and 74% reported at least one significant project delay during the past year.