Construction job openings remain low in October

The construction industry had 213,000 job openings as of Oct. 31, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. ABC says industry job openings decreased by 18,000 in October and are down by 36,000 from the same time in 2024.

“The number of open, unfilled construction jobs remained extraordinarily low in October,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu says. “Hires, on the other hand, fell sharply for the month. This is consistent with other recent data, most of which has shown that the construction industry has been in a state of contraction throughout the majority of 2025.”

Because of the government shutdown, this JOLTS release is the most current indication of construction industry activity. ABC says more updated data will not be available until later in December. The firm added that according to its construction confidence index, contractors remain upbeat about hiring intentions for the next six months.