Construction Industry Adds 6,000 jobs in May as Sector's Unemployment Rate Declines to 8.6 Percent, Lowest May Level in Six Years

Construction employers added 6,000 workers to payrolls in May as the industry’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent, its lowest May level in six years, according to an analysis of new government data by AGC. However, association officials cautioned that gains remain spotty and that thousands of highway construction jobs are at risk because of a pending halt in federal transportation funding later this summer. “Even with five straight months of construction employment gains, the industry remains vulnerable to sudden shifts in demand,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “Unless lawmakers act in the next few weeks to head off an expected disruption in highway funding, the sudden loss of billions of dollars worth of demand would cost many construction workers, as well as workers from other segments of the economy, their jobs.” Read full press release here.