ARLINGTON, VA — In the first significant change in construction employment levels since February 2011, 26,000 jobs were added between August and September as the industry’s unemployment rate dropped to 13.3 percent, according to an analysis of new federal employment data released Oct. 7, 2011 by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Total construction employment now stands at 5,551,000, compared to 5,514,000 in September 2010, a 0.7 percent increase. Association officials said the bulk of the construction gains came from the nonresidential sector, which added 13,200 jobs in September while nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 10,700 jobs and heavy and civil engineering construction added 6,200.

In contrast, residential building contractors added only 1,800 jobs while residential specialty trade contractors lost 5,600 jobs. AGC CEO Stephen E. Sandherr noted that the industry’s 13.3 percent unemployment rate was an improvement from the 17.2 percent rate of a year earlier but far above the all-industry rate of 9.1 percent. “With private sector demand inching back up, the construction industry is finally on the brink of recovering from years of hardship and job losses,” Sandherr said. “If Washington continues to cut infrastructure funding instead of addressing out of control entitlement spending, the industry will lose whatever momentum it picked up in September.”