Construction employment dips in June 2021

By |  July 6, 2021

AGCA

Construction employment declined by 7,000 between May and June as the industry still employs 238,000 fewer people than before the pandemic, according to an Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) analysis of government data.

Association officials say job losses in the nonresidential construction sector offset modest monthly gains in residential construction, as many firms struggle with worker shortages, supply chain disruptions and rising materials prices.

“It is hard for the industry to expand when it can’t find qualified workers, key building materials are scarce, and the prices for them keep climbing,” says Stephen Sandherr, the association’s CEO. “June’s job declines seem less about a lack of demand for projects and a lot more about a lack of supplies to use and workers to employ.”

Construction employment in June totaled 7.41 million, dropping 7,000 from the revised May total. The total in June remained 238,000, or 3.1 percent, below February 2020 – the high point before the pandemic drove construction employment down.

The number of former construction workers who were unemployed in June (730,000) dropped a quarter from a year ago, and the sector’s unemployment rate fell from 10.1 percent in June 2020 to 7.5 percent this June.

Residential and nonresidential construction sectors have differed sharply in their recovery since the pre-pandemic peak in February 2020, AGC says. Residential construction firms – contractors working on new housing, additions and remodeling – gained 15,200 employees during the month and have added 51,000 workers, or 1.7 percent, over 16 months. The nonresidential sector – comprising nonresidential building, specialty trades and heavy and civil engineering contractors – shed 22,600 jobs in June and employed 289,000 fewer workers, or 6.2 percent less, than in February 2020.

Sandherr notes that many firms report key materials are backlogged or rationed, and that firms are experiencing frequent increases in the amount they pay for those materials. In addition, many firms report they are having a hard time finding workers to hire despite the relatively high number of people currently out of work. Additionally, Sandherr says these factors are contributing to rising costs for many contractors.

Association officials says they are taking steps to recruit more people into the construction industry. The association, for example, launched a “Construction is Essential” recruiting campaign earlier this year. They say Washington officials could help the industry by taking steps to ease supply chain backups. They also continue to call on the president to remove tariffs on key construction materials, including steel.

“The good news is there are large numbers of qualified workers available to hire who are on the sidelines until schools reopen and the federal unemployment supplements expire,” Sandherr says. “Our message to these workers is clear: There are high-paying construction careers available when they are ready.”

Kevin Yanik

About the Author:

Kevin Yanik is editor-in-chief of Pit & Quarry. He can be reached at 216-706-3724 or kyanik@northcoastmedia.net.

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