WASHINGTON, D.C. — The construction industry had 292,000 job openings on the last day of December, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 8,000 in December and are up by 87,000 from the same time last year.

“This release paints a slightly more upbeat picture of the construction industry’s labor force dynamics,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The hiring rate rebounded from the historical lows seen in October and November, and industrywide job openings rose to the highest level since July.

“Despite this improvement, demand for construction workers remains subdued, as has been the case for several quarters. Fewer construction workers were hired in 2024 and 2025 than in any two-year period since 2015-2016. This recent weakness has not dampened contractor confidence, and ABC members on net expect to increase their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.