The construction industry shed an estimated 11,000 positions overall in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March 6 jobs report estimating that the U.S. economy shed 92,000 jobs for the month.
Driving the construction industry’s jobs decline were heavy-civil engineering firms and specialty contractors, who combined to cut an estimated 17,400 positions during the month. Of that total, specialty contractors shed 10,900 jobs, with 9,500 of those positions coming from firms focused on residential construction.
Heavy and civil engineering contractors decreased employment by 6,500 position, BLS reported.
Meanwhile, building contractors added an estimated 6,500 jobs in February, with nonresidential contractors adding 4,100, and residential contractors boosting employment by 2,400 positions.
“Construction employment shrank again in February and has now declined in 8 of the past 11 months,” Anirban Basu, chief economist with Associated Builders and Contractors, said in a statement.
“Construction spending has been in decline for several quarters, and ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator fell to a four-year low in January,» Basu added. «With the conflict in Iran adding to trade policy-related uncertainty and crude oil prices well above $80 per barrel, the industry’s outlook remains downbeat through the first few months of 2026.”
Macrina Wilkins, director of market insights at Associated General Contractors of America, added that «Contractors may be more reluctant to add workers amid uncertainty about how much they will pay for construction materials and demand for certain types of construction projects.»
Despite that, Wilkins noted that, «Even with the monthly drop, construction employment has grown at a faster rate during the past year than the broader economy.”
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