The construction sector added 34,000 jobs in August while the industry’s unemployment rate fell to 3.2 percent, the lowest August rate in the 25-year history of the data, according to an analysis of new government data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials noted that the unemployment rate and the results of a recently released workforce survey conducted by the association and Arcoro indicate that firms would likely have hired more workers if only they could find qualified people.
“Construction job growth was the strongest in five months in August,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But the record-low unemployment rate for jobseekers with construction experience shows how much difficulty contractors face in finding qualified workers.”