8.331 million U.S. construction workers were employed in June, up 11,000 from May and 64,000 from a year earlier, according to AGC’s analysis of federal labor data.
19,900 nonresidential jobs drove the gain, including 14,100 at specialty trade contractors, 3,200 at building contractors and 2,600 in heavy and civil engineering tied to infrastructure work.
8,600 residential jobs were lost in June, leaving the sector down 48,800 from a year earlier as both homebuilding and residential specialty trades cut payrolls.
$39.06 average hourly pay for construction production workers was 20.6% above the private-sector average, with wages up 4.8% year over year versus 3.4% across private industry.
Sept. 30 is the deadline AGC is targeting as it presses Congress to renew surface transportation funding, warning that highway and transit support is key to sustaining infrastructure hiring.