construction jobs post new gains in latest federal survey

Up to 42,000 new jobs in the construction industry nationally were created in February, according to the latest monthly report coming out of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That 42,000 gain was higher than the new jobs posted in the professional and technical services segment, which saw an increase of 32,000 last month.

But the construction employment expansion was significantly smaller than the 57,000 new jobs seen in the healthcare and social assistance categories.

According to the bureau’s Employment Situation Summary total nonfarm payroll employment was up by 273,000 in February.

The 42,000 February construction job gain comes on the heels of a strong January increase which saw more than 49,000 new jobs in the industry.

According to the report, the industry specifically saw more than 26,000 new specialty trade contractor jobs, along with another 10,000 in residential building.

Even though the February construction job gains were less than those of January, the BLS report noted that for all of 2019, the average monthly industry gains came out to around 13,000.
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The report also showed that between February of 2019 and February of this year average construction wages had increased by around 90 cents per hour to a record $31.35.

​By Garry Boulard

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