The construction industry now employs 6.669 million Americans, a 3-percent increase over the September 2015 mark, according to preliminary estimates from the Labor Department.
So far this year the construction industry has added an estimated 72,000 total jobs, an average of 8,000 per month.
The Labor Department’s latest data also revised downward the figure for August’s total employment from the previously reported 6.652 million to 6.646 million. However, the revision actually improved that month’s employment change from a loss of 6,000 jobs to a loss of 5,000 jobs.
The industry’s unemployment rate rose for a second consecutive month from 5.1 percent to 5.2 percent.
The U.S. economy added 156,000 jobs in September while the unemployment rate increased slightly from 4.9 percent to 5 percent.
Construction employment since 2006
