Construction Sector
Construction: NAICS 23
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The construction sector is part of the goods-producing industries supersector group.
The construction sector comprises establishments primarily engaged in the construction of buildings or engineering projects (e.g., highways and utility systems). Establishments primarily engaged in the preparation of sites for new construction and establishments primarily engaged in subdividing land for sale as building sites also are included in this sector.
Construction work done may include new work, additions, alterations, or maintenance and repairs. Activities of these establishments generally are managed at a fixed place of business, but they usually perform construction activities at multiple project sites. Production responsibilities for establishments in this sector are usually specified in (1) contracts with the owners of construction projects (prime contracts) or (2) contracts with other construction establishments (subcontracts).
North American Industry Classification System
The construction sector consists of these subsectors:
- Construction of Buildings: NAICS 236
- Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction: NAICS 237
- Specialty Trade Contractors: NAICS 238
This section provides information relating to employment and unemployment in construction. While most data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys, information on industry unemployment comes from a national survey of households. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, the unemployment rate of those previously employed in the industry, job openings and labor turnover, union membership and representation, gross job gains and losses, mass layoffs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.
Employment, Unemployment, Layoffs, and Openings, Hires, and Separations
| Data series | Back data | Sep. 2008 | Oct. 2008 | Nov. 2008 | Dec. 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employment (in thousands) | |||||
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted) |  | 7,098 | 7,019 | (P) 6,934 | (P) 6,833 |
Employment, production workers (seasonally adjusted) | | 5,457 | 5,389 | (P) 5,311 | (P) 5,223 |
Unemployment | |||||
| 9.9% | 10.8% | 12.7% | 15.3% | |
Layoffs | |||||
| 144 | 206 | 382 | ||
| 10,763 | 14,864 | 29,775 | ||
Job openings, hires, and separations (in thousands) | |||||
| 108 | 55 | (P) 52 | ||
| 274 | 304 | (P) 180 | ||
| 428 | 440 | (P) 489 | ||
Footnotes | |||||
(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Current Population Survey, Mass Layoff Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey)
Union Membership and Representation
| Data series | Back data | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Union membership and representation | |||||
Members of unions (percent of wage and salary workers) | | 14.7% | 13.1% | 13.0% | 13.9% |
Represented by unions (percent of wage and salary workers) | | 15.4% | 13.8% | 13.6% | 14.4% |
(Source: Current Population Survey)
Dynamic Changes in Employment
| Data series | Back data | 2nd quarter 2007 | 3rd quarter 2007 | 4th quarter 2007 | 1st quarter 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dynamic changes in employment (in thousands) | |||||
| 820 | 772 | 784 | 763 | |
| 865 | 882 | 875 | 869 | |
(Source: Business Employment Dynamics)
Extended Mass Layoffs
| Data series | Back data | 4th quarter 2007 | 1st quarter 2008 | 2nd quarter 2008 | 3rd quarter 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 682 | 337 | (P) 243 | (P) 208 | |
| 86,900 | 36,917 | (P) 27,477 | (P) 21,099 | |
| 100,731 | 45,231 | (P) 35,327 | (P) 21,727 | |
Footnotes | |||||
(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)
Employment by Occupation
| Data series | Employment, 2007 |
|---|---|
| 805,410 | |
| 836,420 | |
| 179,900 | |
| 477,540 | |
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators | 273,050 |
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Projections
For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for construction.
(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)
This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours. The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours for production or nonsupervisory employees, as well as weekly earnings by union membership status, are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in construction. This section also contains information on the average cost of benefits paid by employers, as well as recent rates of change in wages and total compensation.
Earnings and Hours of Production Workers
| Data series | Back data | Sep. 2008 | Oct. 2008 | Nov. 2008 | Dec. 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $22.09 | $22.15 | (P) $22.27 | (P) $22.37 | |
| 38.4 | 38.1 | (P) 37.8 | (P) 37.8 | |
Footnotes | |||||
(Source: Current Employment Statistics)
Union Membership and Representation
| Data series | Back data | Median weekly earnings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | ||
Union membership and representation | |||||
| $618 | $619 | $642 | $673 | |
| $893 | $933 | $969 | $1,000 | |
| $884 | $926 | $956 | $993 | |
| $588 | $590 | $610 | $624 | |
(Source: Current Population Survey)
Earnings by Occupation
| Data series | Wages, 2007 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Annual | |||
| Median | Mean | Median | Mean | |
| $18.37 | $20.10 | $38,200 | $41,820 | |
| $13.41 | $15.24 | $27,890 | $31,690 | |
| $36.37 | $41.25 | $75,650 | $85,790 | |
| $20.93 | $22.85 | $43,540 | $47,520 | |
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators | $19.09 | $21.18 | $39,700 | $44,060 |
(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)
Employer Compensation Costs
| Data series | Back data | 4th quarter 2007 | 1st quarter 2008 | 2nd quarter 2008 | 3rd quarter 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12-month percent change | |||||
| 3.9% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 3.5% | |
| 4.0% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 3.4% | |
(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)
| Data series | Back data | 3rd quarter 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation component ($ per hour worked) | Percent of total compensation | ||
Compensation costs | |||
| 30.60 | 100.0 | |
| 21.17 | 69.2 | |
| 9.42 | 30.8 | |
| 2.28 | 7.4 | |
| 1.59 | 5.2 | |
(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)
Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses
This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in construction. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.
| Data series | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fatalities | ||||
| 1,278 | 1,243 | 1,297 | (P) 1,212 | |
Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers | ||||
| 6.4 | 6.3 | 5.9 | 5.4 | |
Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.9 | |
| 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 | |
Footnotes | ||||
(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)
This section presents data on the number of establishments and the number of establishments experiencing job gains or job losses in construction.
Establishments
| Data series | Back data | 3rd quarter 2007 | 4th quarter 2007 | 1st quarter 2008 | 2nd quarter 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of establishments | |||||
| 896,200 | 893,647 | (P) 886,675 | (P) 889,711 | |
| 4,551 | 4,541 | (P) 4,551 | (P) 4,560 | |
| 1,808 | 1,808 | (P) 1,786 | (P) 1,785 | |
| 2 | 2 | (P) 2 | (P) 2 | |
Establishments with changes in employment (in thousands) | |||||
With job gains (seasonally adjusted) | | 211 | 211 | 201 | |
With job losses (seasonally adjusted) | | 239 | 236 | 238 | |
Footnotes | |||||
(Source: Business Employment Dynamics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)
SeeOther BLS Resources
The Editor's Desk
industry studies in the subject matter index of The Editor's Desk (Current Edition).
Monthly Labor Review
See industry studies in the Index of the Monthly Labor Review Online (Current Issue).
Career Guide to Industries
To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.
Data extracted on: January 16, 2009
