By Aijaz Alam
How many construction jobs are open in the US?
US construction employers had 251,000 job openings at the end of August 2026 (preliminary, seasonally adjusted), a 2.9% openings rate, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics JOLTS survey. That is up from 213,000 in August 2025 but well below the 457,000 peak of March 2022. Construction hired 308,000 workers in August 2026.
- 251,000Job openings in US constructionBLS JOLTS, end of Aug 2026, preliminary
- 2.9%Construction job openings rateBLS JOLTS, Aug 2026; 4.3% for all industries
- 308,000Hires in construction during August 2026BLS JOLTS, preliminary
- 457,000Highest month since 2016March 2022
The numbers
The full breakdown
Construction openings, hires and separations, August 2026 and August 2025
| Measure | Aug 2026 (preliminary) | Aug 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Job openings | 251,000 | 213,000 |
| Job openings rate | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Hires | 308,000 | 336,000 |
| Quits | 152,000 | 150,000 |
| Layoffs and discharges | 99,000 | 182,000 |
BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), construction (NAICS 23), seasonally adjusted. Openings are counted on the last business day of the month; hires, quits and layoffs over the whole month. August 2026 values are preliminary and will be revised.
Construction job openings each August, 2016 to 2026
| Year | Job openings | Job openings rate |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2016 | 186,000 | 2.7% |
| Aug 2017 | 206,000 | 2.9% |
| Aug 2018 | 286,000 | 3.7% |
| Aug 2019 | 328,000 | 4.2% |
| Aug 2020 | 254,000 | 3.4% |
| Aug 2021 | 392,000 | 5.0% |
| Aug 2022 | 351,000 | 4.3% |
| Aug 2023 | 404,000 | 4.8% |
| Aug 2024 | 342,000 | 4.0% |
| Aug 2025 | 213,000 | 2.5% |
| Aug 2026 (preliminary) | 251,000 | 2.9% |
The same month each year, so seasonal patterns do not affect the comparison. Seasonally adjusted. BLS shows the series from 2016 on its data page.
Construction compared with all US employers
| Measure | Construction | All industries |
|---|---|---|
| Job openings, Aug 2026 (preliminary) | 251,000 | 7,079,000 |
| Job openings rate, Aug 2026 (preliminary) | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Job openings, Aug 2025 | 213,000 | 6,919,000 |
| Job openings rate, Aug 2025 | 2.5% | 4.2% |
All industries is JOLTS total nonfarm. Construction was about 3.5% of all US job openings in August 2026.
Over time
US construction job openings and hires by month, August 2024 to August 2026
| Month | Job openings | Job openings rate | Hires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2024 | 342,000 | 4.0% | 342,000 |
| Sep 2024 | 246,000 | 2.9% | 331,000 |
| Oct 2024 | 241,000 | 2.8% | 327,000 |
| Nov 2024 | 233,000 | 2.7% | 324,000 |
| Dec 2024 | 135,000 | 1.6% | 298,000 |
| Jan 2025 | 232,000 | 2.7% | 332,000 |
| Feb 2025 | 255,000 | 3.0% | 348,000 |
| Mar 2025 | 278,000 | 3.3% | 300,000 |
| Apr 2025 | 207,000 | 2.4% | 349,000 |
| May 2025 | 222,000 | 2.6% | 345,000 |
| Jun 2025 | 224,000 | 2.6% | 350,000 |
| Jul 2025 | 305,000 | 3.6% | 333,000 |
| Aug 2025 | 213,000 | 2.5% | 336,000 |
| Sep 2025 | 206,000 | 2.4% | 337,000 |
| Oct 2025 | 196,000 | 2.3% | 294,000 |
| Nov 2025 | 292,000 | 3.4% | 334,000 |
| Dec 2025 | 245,000 | 2.9% | 326,000 |
| Jan 2026 | 230,000 | 2.7% | 362,000 |
| Feb 2026 | 201,000 | 2.4% | 294,000 |
| Mar 2026 | 234,000 | 2.7% | 306,000 |
| Apr 2026 | 266,000 | 3.1% | 319,000 |
| May 2026 | 291,000 | 3.4% | 282,000 |
| Jun 2026 | 298,000 | 3.5% | 319,000 |
| Jul 2026 | 299,000 | 3.5% | 358,000 |
| Aug 2026 (preliminary) | 251,000 | 2.9% | 308,000 |
BLS JOLTS, construction, seasonally adjusted, in thousands on the BLS data pages (shown here in full). Openings are a count on the last business day of the month; hires are for the whole month. Monthly values swing a lot, so compare several months, not one.
Why sources differ
Same question, different answers
| Number | When | Who measured | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 251,000 | Aug 2026 | BLS JOLTS | Unfilled construction positions on the last business day of the month, seasonally adjusted, preliminary. |
| 308,000 | Aug 2026 | BLS JOLTS | Hires: all additions to the payroll during the whole month, including rehires and workers hired and separated within the month (BLS definition). Not directly comparable with the single-day openings count. |
| 72,700 a year | 2025-35 | BLS Employment Projections (OOH) | Projected average openings each year for electricians in all industries, from growth and replacement; a projection, not a vacancy count. |
| 40,600 a year | 2025-35 | BLS Employment Projections (OOH) | The same projection for HVAC mechanics and installers; 42,000 a year for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters. |
| 7,079,000 | Aug 2026 | BLS JOLTS, all industries | Openings at every US nonfarm employer; construction is about 3.5% of them. |
Construction hiring figures come from different BLS programs and measure different things. JOLTS counts positions that are open on the last business day of the month, at all construction employers, from homebuilders to heavy civil contractors: 251,000 in August 2026. It also counts hires, which BLS defines as all additions to the payroll during the whole month, including rehires and workers hired and separated within the month: 308,000 in August. Because openings are counted on one day and hires over a whole month, the hires figure can be higher than the openings figure. Our reading, which BLS does not state, is that many positions are opened and filled between two month-end counts. The Occupational Outlook Handbook's openings figures are something else again. Its 72,700 openings a year for electricians, 42,000 for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters and 40,600 for HVAC mechanics and installers are projected averages for 2025 to 2035, cover those occupations in every industry, and include replacing workers who retire or change careers. JOLTS figures are also revised: the latest month is marked preliminary and can change in later releases, so quote a month with the date you read it.
What it means
How to use these numbers
At the end of August 2026, US construction employers were trying to fill 251,000 jobs, an openings rate of 2.9% (preliminary). That is more than in August 2025 (213,000) but far below 2022 and 2023, when openings were often above 400,000 and peaked at 457,000 in March 2022, the highest month since 2016 in BLS's table.
The openings rate is the better guide to how hard hiring is. Construction's 2.9% compares with 4.3% for all US employers, and the construction rate was below the all-industry rate in every month from August 2024 to August 2026. Monthly numbers swing a lot: openings fell to 135,000 in December 2024 and were back near 300,000 by mid-2026, so look at several months together rather than one.
Openings are not the same as a shortage of workers. Construction hired 308,000 people in August 2026, more than the openings count; BLS counts hires over the whole month and openings on its last business day, so the two are not directly comparable. Our reading: for a plumbing, HVAC or electrical firm, the trade projections, such as about 72,700 electrician openings a year to 2035, say more about long-run hiring pressure than one month of JOLTS data.
Method and sources
How it was measured
Method
- Publisher
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
- Sample
- A monthly survey of employers about job openings, hires and separations, published by industry; construction is NAICS 23, all establishment sizes, Total US
- Definition
- In BLS's words (JOLTS technical note): job openings "include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month", and a job is open only if "A specific position exists, and there is work available for that position", "The job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time" and "The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position." The job openings rate "is computed by dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings" and multiplying by 100.
- Released
- August 2026 data, preliminary; series JTS230000000000000JOL (level) and JTS230000000000000JOR (rate) on data.bls.gov
- Checked at source
- 31 October 2026: data.bls.gov series for construction openings (level and rate), hires, quits and layoffs, and total nonfarm openings (level and rate); BLS JOLTS release schedule; JOLTS technical note (definitions)
- Next release
- BLS's JOLTS release schedule lists October 2026 data for 1 December 2026
- Last changed
- 31 Oct 2026
- Data files
- CSV · JSON (stable links)
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Bureau of Labor Statistics Official data
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FAQ
More questions people ask
Is there a shortage of construction workers?
Our reading: the openings data does not point to an unusually tight market right now. Construction's openings rate was 2.9% in August 2026, below the 4.3% for all industries and well below the 5.0% of August 2021. Trade-level projections still show steady demand, such as about 72,700 electrician openings a year to 2035.
How many people does construction hire each month?
308,000 in August 2026 (preliminary). In 2025, monthly construction hires ranged from 294,000 to 350,000.
What was the highest number of construction job openings?
457,000 in March 2022, the highest month in the BLS table that starts in 2016. The lowest in the past two years was 135,000 in December 2024.
How do construction openings compare with all industries?
Construction had 251,000 of the 7,079,000 US job openings in August 2026, about 3.5%, and a lower openings rate (2.9% against 4.3%).
Every number on this page was checked at its original source (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). Free to cite with a link to this page.