Data from the BLSย Job Openings and Labor Turnover Surveyย (JOLTS) released Tuesday indicate that construction job openings increased in March, consistent with the ongoing challenge of the availability of labor for builders, said the US National Association of Home Builders. The estimated number of job openings in the construction sector increased to 360,000, a post-Great Recession high. Moreover, this marks a significant gain over the 234,000 openings estimated in March 2018.
The open position rate (job openings as a percentage of total employment plus current job openings) increased to 4.6% in March, also a cycle high. On a smoothed, twelve-month moving average basis, the open position rate for the construction sector increased to 3.9%. The peak (smoothed) rate during the building boom prior to the recession was just below 2.7%. For the current cycle, the sector has been above that rate since October 2016.
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The construction sector hiring rate, as measured on a twelve-month moving average basis, held steady at 5.2% in March. The twelve-month moving average for layoffs remained at 2.3%.