Construction Industry Sees “Downbeat” Outlook with 11,000 Jobs Shed in February

by David Flaherty | 9 March 2026 2:35 pm

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The construction industry lost 11,000 jobs on net in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has grown by 42,000 jobs, an increase of 0.5 percent.
Nonresidential construction employment decreased by 3,800 positions, with losses in two of the three subcategories. Heavy and civil engineering lost 6,500 jobs, and nonresidential specialty trade lost 1,400 positions, while nonresidential building added 4,100 jobs in February.
The construction unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in February. Unemployment across all industries rose to 4.4 percent, 0.2 percentage points higher than one year ago.
“Construction employment shrank again in February and has now declined in eight of the past 11 months,” said ABC chief economist Anirban Basu. “Both the residential and nonresidential segments lost jobs for the month, adding to a recent string of downbeat industry data releases; construction spending has been in decline for several quarters, and ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator[2] fell to a four-year low in January. With the conflict in Iran adding to trade policy-related uncertainty and crude oil prices well above $80 per barrel [now $100 per barrel as of Monday, March 9[3]], the industry’s outlook remains downbeat through the first few months of 2026.”

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