ABC
Construction Employment Rebounds by 26,000 in March |
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| The construction industry added 26,000 jobs in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has grown by 57,000 jobs, an increase of 0.7%.
Nonresidential construction employment increased by 12,200 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential building added the most jobs, increasing by 4,500 positions. Nonresidential specialty trade and heavy and civil engineering added 3,900 and 3,800 jobs, respectively, in March. The construction unemployment rate was 6.7% in March. Unemployment across all industries dropped to 4.3%, but is still 0.1 percentage points higher than one year ago. “Construction employment rebounded in March as both the residential and nonresidential segments added jobs for the month,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Industrywide employment has expanded by an average of 19,300 jobs per month in 2026. That’s a marked improvement from 2025, when construction employment actually declined, but there remains cause for concern about the industry’s outlook. “The March jobs data do not capture the detrimental ways in which the conflict in Iran will continue to affect the construction industry,” said Basu. “Oil prices have risen to heights not seen since 2022 and diesel prices have soared to $5.40 per gallon, up more than $1.90 per gallon from the start of 2026. At the same time, higher treasury yields have put renewed pressure on borrowing costs. While contractors were relatively optimistic about the near-term outlook as of February, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, it remains to be seen how long that optimism can persist under current economic conditions.” |
AGC
Construction Jobs Increase In 30 States And D.C. Between February 2025 And February 2026; 22 States Have One-Month Gain In Construction Jobs
Texas and Montana Have the Largest Number and Percent of 12-Month Increases, While California and Alaska Trail; Florida and Montana Lead in Monthly Gains, While New Jersey and Delaware Have the Biggest and Steepest Losses
Construction employment rose in 30 states and the District of Columbia from February 2025 to February 2026, while 20 states added jobs between January and February, according to an analysis of new federal data released in April by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned there are signs construction is slowing in parts of the country and urged federal officials to pass a new highway and transportation bill before the current measure expires to avoid delaying additional projects.
“Severe winter weather in late January and February probably led to a drop in the number of states with one-month job gains,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But construction is slowing in many parts of the country, apart from areas with data center, power, and large manufacturing projects, as other owners hold back on starting projects.”
Between February 2025 and February 2026, 30 states and D.C. added construction jobs, 18 states shed jobs, and employment held steady in Arkansas and New Hampshire. Texas added the most construction jobs (24,000 jobs or 2.7 percent), followed by North Carolina (11,200 jobs, 4.1 percent), Wisconsin (10,200 jobs, 7.1 percent), and Missouri (10,000 jobs, 6.9 percent). Montana had the largest percentage gain over 12 months (8.8 percent, 3,100 jobs), followed by West Virginia (7.6 percent, 2,600 jobs), Wisconsin and Missouri.
California lost the most construction jobs from February 2025 to February 2026 (-10,300 jobs, -1.2 percent), followed by Florida (-9,100 jobs, -1.4 percent), New York (-5,000 jobs, -1.3 percent), Arizona (-3,200 jobs, -1.4 percent), and New Jersey (-3,100 jobs, -1.9 percent). The largest percentage loss was in Alaska (-5.6 percent, -1,100 jobs), followed by New Mexico (-3.6 percent, -2,000 jobs), New Jersey, and Delaware (-1.6 percent, -400 jobs).
For the month, industry employment increased in 22 states, declined in 27 states and D.C., and was unchanged in South Dakota. Florida added the most construction jobs (1,100 jobs or 0.2 percent), followed by 1,000-job increases in Colorado (0.2 percent), Nevada (0.9 percent), and Ohio (0.4 percent). The largest percentage gain occurred in Montana (1.3 percent, 500 jobs), followed by 0.9 percent increases in Nevada and Idaho (700 jobs).
New Jersey experienced the largest number of construction job losses from January to February (-5,900 jobs, -3.5 percent). Other states with significant numerical losses included New York (-5,300 jobs, -1.4 percent), Illinois (-4,900 jobs, -1.9 percent), Missouri (-4,200 jobs, -2.6 percent), and Maryland (-4,100 jobs, -2.4 percent). The largest percentage loss was in Delaware (-4.4 percent, -1,100 jobs), followed by New Jersey and Missouri.
Association officials urged Congress to pass a new highway and transportation bill before the current law expires at the end of September to avoid delaying vital infrastructure projects. They added that the association has launched a new national campaign, called America’s Moving Forward, to push for passage of the vital legislation.
“Unless Congress acts on time, state and local transportation officials will have a hard time planning and budgeting for vital new road, bridge, and transit projects,” said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, the chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. “Passing a new measure on time should help boost construction employment in many parts of the country.”
Construction Materials Costs Climb In March, Driven By Near-record Jump In Diesel Fuel Price And Further Increases In Prices For Key Metals
Construction Association Officials Warn Rising Metals and Fuel Costs Could Put Additional Pressure on Project Budgets; Impact on Project Delays and Costs Depends on Extent of Damage and War’s Duration
The producer price index for materials and services used in nonresidential construction recorded its largest one-month increase in four years last month, driven by a near-record jump in the price of diesel fuel and ongoing increases in metals prices, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials warned that fast-rising costs are pressuring contractors, making it harder for project owners to go ahead with planned construction, and jeopardizing economic growth.
“The staggering jump in fuel costs only reflects prices as of mid-March,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Diesel fuel prices have continued to rise sharply since then, while the destruction of aluminum facilities and blockage of ship movements due to the Middle East war is driving costs still higher.”
The producer price index for inputs to new nonresidential construction climbed by 1.7 percent from February to March, the most since January 2022. The index rose 4.4 percent over 12 months, a three-year high.
The index for diesel fuel soared 37.8 percent from February to March 13, the day prices are collected each month for calculating the indexes. That increase reflected the impact of the first two weeks of the Middle East war, Simonson noted. The only larger one-month rise was a 39.7 percent jump during the Gulf War in 1990.
In the month since March prices were collected the average retail price of diesel fuel has jumped another 71 cents per gallon, or 14 percent, according to AAA, the economist added. He said contractors have reported being hit with rapidly increasing fuel surcharges on the thousands of deliveries of materials and equipment to jobsites, in addition to the direct cost of fuel they buy for their trucks and construction equipment.
The indexes for three key metals used in construction continued to post outsized increases, driven by tariffs as well as the war. The index for aluminum mill shapes rose 1.2 percent for the month and 34.1 percent year-over-year. The index for copper and brass mill shapes rose 0.5 percent in one month and 21.3 percent over 12 months. The index for steel mill products rose 2.1 percent from February and 15.4 percent from March 2025.
Association officials noted that rising costs for metals and fuel highlight how sensitive construction supply chains remain to global disruptions and trade policy. They urged federal officials to pursue policies that reduce volatility in materials markets and provide greater certainty about the future cost of key construction inputs.
“Because contractors can seldom pass along cost increases after committing to a project, these extreme, sudden jumps are causing major hardship,” said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, the chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. “In addition, uncertainty over future costs and demand for structures may cause owners to delay or cancel previously planned projects, adding to contractors’ woes and slowing economic growth.”
View producer price index data.
AIA
Emerging design trends surveys
Every quarter, hundreds of architecture firms share current project data to reveal new and emerging trends in residential design, providing an incisive look at the key features owners and buyers want—and purchase.
Architects and firms rely on the Home Design Trends Survey to educate homeowners about current trends they may want to explore and, ultimately, position themselves as knowledgeable professionals in the home construction and remodeling industry.
Starting with the Q1 2019 report, we have renumbered the reports to reflect the quarter in which they are released. Going forward, the quarterly breakdowns are:
- Q1: Kitchen and Bath (View Q1 2026)
- Q2: Home and Property Designs (View Q2 2025)
- Q3: Home Features (View Q3 2025)
- Q4: Neighborhood and Community Design (View Q4 2025)
One Variety of Preconstruction Tech Is Seeing More Widespread Usage Than Any Other
Preconstruction technology has become a staple of the buildings and infrastructure industries over the past decade, but none more so than estimating software, according to BuiltWorlds’ latest Annual Preconstruction Benchmarking Report.
Nearly 90% of survey respondents (primarily general contractors) admitted to implementing an estimating solution at some level, with 64% saying that they use the technology on every project. That’s a 42% year-over-year increase of usage on every project, and a 392% increase from 2022—the year BuiltWorlds began collecting granular, preconstruction tech user data—when overall implementation was at 13%.
Of the six preconstruction technology categories, three saw regular usage by over 70% of respondents: one was estimating, the other two were scheduling (83.3%) and bid management (71.5%).
