KEY POINTS
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BLS revisions cut construction job growth in 1H2025 to just 19,000 jobs, nearly halving prior estimates.
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Residential sub-trades were hit hardest, losing 10,000 jobs after downward revisions.
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Despite weak hiring, construction workers maintained a 24% pay premium over the private sector average.
Previously, the first half of 2025 appeared to deliver an already underwhelming 35,000 new construction jobs. Following the revisions, that figure has been cut nearly in half to just 19,000. July’s addition of 2,000 jobs offered little improvement, leaving the construction labor market with one of its weakest growth periods in years.
Weakest Hiring Stretch Since 2021
Most of this year’s hiring momentum was concentrated at the very start of 2025. Between March and July, net job growth totaled just 7,000 positions, marking the slowest pace since a brief lull in mid-2021.
No segment fared worse than residential sub-trades, where revisions turned what had been reported as a 1,000-job decline into a loss of 10,000 positions.
Other labor sub-segments also registered negative impacts, reinforcing the sector’s fragile labor recovery.
A chart of weekly construction wages versus private sector pay illustrates that the average construction worker has a $302 weekly pay premium, or 24% higher earnings than the typical private-sector employee. Image: ConstructConnect Construction Economy Snapshot, through July 2025
Wage Growth Outpaces Broader Market
While job creation faltered, construction wages continued to climb. The average hourly wage in July rose to $39.69, compared with $36.44 across the broader private sector.
Construction employees worked an average of 39.1 hours per week, resulting in an average weekly pay of $1,552. That compares to $1,250 for all private sector workers, leaving construction employees with a $302, or 24%, weekly pay premium.
Even as demand for workers softens, pay pressure remains elevated, potentially impacting bids, project costs, and scheduling across the industry.
Read the Construction Economy Snapshot for more details on construction starts, trends, and regional analysis.
