In May, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 390,000 and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.6%. Solid job gains continued in May, despite surging inflation, persistent supply-chain issues, and fears of a possible recession. Construction industry employment (both residential and non-residential) totaled 7.7 million and has exceeded its February 2020 level. Residential construction gained…
Data from the Survey of Market Absorption of Apartments (SOMA), produced by the Census Bureau, suggest continued improvement for the multifamily sector in the fourth quarter of 2021 due to strong demand and low vacancy rates. However, the decline in the number of apartment and condominium completions in the fourth quarter of 2021 may reflect…
NAHB analysis of Census Construction Spending data shows that total private residential construction spending rose 0.9% in April after an increase of 0.7% in March 2022. Spending stood at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $891.5 billion. Total private residential construction spending was 18.4% higher than a year ago. These monthly gains are attributed to…
The construction labor market remains tight, as the industry sees a rising number of job openings year-over-year. The count of open construction jobs jumped to 449,000 unfilled positions in April. This is the highest measure in the history of the data series (going back to late 2000). The housing market remains underbuilt and requires additional…
