Highway and bridge construction jobs reach 10-year high

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) says workers employed by highway, street and bridge contractors grew 2.8 percent in April compared to the same month in 2016, representing a net increase of roughly 8,700 workers.

Total workers employed in this segment reached 342,100, the highest mark for April since 2007. ARTBA points out, however, that this figure is down 1.8 percent compared to “2007 pre-recession levels.” In 2012, the April employment figure was just 279,900.

The association breaks down other related industry employment including:

ARTBA also reports the average hourly wage of production workers in highway, street and bridge construction for April was $26.76, a slight increase from the $26.52 recorded last year, but about 1.9 percent more than the overall construction industry average hourly wage.

Workers in highway, street and bridge construction put in 42.1 hours on the job per week on average in April, compared to 41.6 hours the same month last year.

ARTBA’s full labor report for April figures is available here.