Labor has been consistently cited as a top challenge for general contractors, an issue that long predates the Covid-19 pandemic.
In December, the construction industry added 17,000 net jobs, part of what was a stronger-than-expected jobs report released late last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between December 2022 and December 2023, industry employment grew 2.5%, to 197,000 new jobs, according to an analysis of BLS data by industry trade group the Associated Builders and Contractors.