KEY POINTS
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August jobs report showed weak national growth with only 22,000 new positions, while construction employment fell for three consecutive months alongside declines in investment put-in-place activity.
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Construction wages rose strongly, up 4.3% hourly and 4.9% weekly, even as job openings increased and overall sector unemployment held steady at 3.2%.
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Broader economic signals remain mixed: GDP rebounded 3.3% in Q2, but consumer confidence fell, inflation expectations climbed, and the Fed hinted at possible interest rate cuts.
Sluggish Job Creation Nationwide
America’s August jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offered little to celebrate. Non-farm employment rose by just 22,000 positions, while June was revised to show a net loss of 13,000. Over the past four months, gains have totaled barely 100,000, far short of the 200,000-plus monthly advances that were once routine.
Construction Employment Mirrors Broader Weakness
Construction employment has followed a similar path. June, July, and August each posted small but negative results, with losses of 2,000, 1,000, and 7,000 jobs, respectively. These declines mirror weakness in investment put-in-place (PIP) data. Through July, total U.S. PIP construction was down 2.2% year-to-date.
Residential activity was particularly soft, down 4.0% overall, including private singles off 2.4% and multiples down 12.5%. Nonresidential work was only slightly better, slipping 0.8%, with growth in office buildings (up 2.1%) and water supply and waste management (up 10.7%) offset by sharp declines in commercial (down 11.9%), manufacturing (down 3.4%), and lodging (down 3.0%).
Architecture Billings Remain Subdued
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) remains stuck below the critical 50.0 mark, signaling weaker design activity. The most recent reading of 46.2 marks nearly three years of subpar results, dampening hopes for a near-term construction rebound.
Labor Market Signals Mixed for Construction
Not all metrics are negative. Construction job openings rose year-over-year from 229,000 to 306,000, even as openings across the broader economy declined. Worker pay in construction is also moving higher. August wages for onsite workers increased 4.3% hourly and 4.9% weekly, outpacing both manufacturing and the overall labor force. Unemployment in construction remains steady at 3.2%, the same as last year.
Broader Economic Outlook Shows Contradictions
At the macro level, U.S. GDP rebounded strongly in Q2 with 3.3% growth, following a weak 0.5% contraction in Q1. However, much of the Q2 gain was fueled by inventory stockpiling ahead of anticipated tariffs. Consumer confidence indicators, meanwhile, are flashing warning signals. The Conference Board’s confidence index fell to 97.4 in August, well below the pre-COVID level of nearly 140.
More concerning, its Expectations Index dropped to 74.8, below the 80.0 threshold that often precedes recessions. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment surveys also weakened, with inflation expectations climbing to 4.8% over the next year.
Inflation and Fed Policy
Despite these pressures, inflation readings remain moderate. The all-items Consumer Price Index was up 2.7% year-over-year in July, or 3.1% excluding food and energy. Gasoline prices fell 9.5%, though tariffs drove coffee prices sharply higher at 14.8%. Against this backdrop, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell hinted at potential interest rate cuts, signaling concern over the economy’s fragile trajectory.
Market Optimism in Future-Focused Sectors
Equity markets, however, continue to surge on optimism around future-focused sectors insulated from short-term volatility. Investor enthusiasm is strongest for companies driving advancements in artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, cryptocurrency, and emerging aviation technologies. AI’s rapid adoption for construction is especially significant, as the push for massive data centers and expanded electrical infrastructure promises to be a major driver of future building activity.
About ConstructConnect
At ConstructConnect, our software solutions provide the information construction professionals need to start every project on a solid foundation. For more than 100 years, our keen insights and market intelligence have empowered commercial firms, building product manufacturers, trade contractors, and architects to make data-driven decisions, streamline preconstruction workflows, and maximize their productivity. Our newest offerings—including our comprehensive, AI-assisted software—help our clients find, bid on, and win more projects.
ConstructConnect operates as a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 1000.
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