Eye On Housing
Job growth accelerated in May. Total payroll employment rose by 339,000 and the unemployment rate rose to 3.7%. While labor demand remained strong, wage pressures eased from a year ago. In May, wage growth slowed to a 4.3% year-over-year gain, from 4.4% last month, and down 1.6 percentage points from a 5.9% gain in March 2022. Total nonfarm payroll employment… Read More ›
Job gains continued in April, despite rising interest rates and a slowing economy. After a revised 165,000 job gain in March, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 253,000 in April, and the unemployment rate declined to 3.4% from 3.5% in March. In April, on a year-over-year basis, wage growth increased slightly to 4.4% from 4.3% last month, but down compared… Read More ›
The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy declined again in March, falling to 9.6 million, after an 11.2 million reading in December, which was the highest level since July. The count of open jobs was 12 million a year ago in March 2022. The count of total job openings should continue to fall in 2023 as the… Read More ›
According to the latest Employment Situation of Veterans report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of employed veterans working in the construction industry increased to 6.5% in 2022–the second consecutive annual increase. The share has climbed 0.6 percentage point since 2020 and is just one-tenth lower than the most recent peak reached in 2019. “Management, business,… Read More ›
Job growth slowed in March, along with higher interest rates and increased economic uncertainty. After a revised 326,000 job gain in February, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 236,000 in March, and the unemployment rate declined to 3.5% from 3.6% in February. Average hourly earnings have increased by 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. It marks the lowest wage gain since… Read More ›
According to the latest 2021 ACS, close to 11 million people, including self-employed workers, worked in construction in 2021. NAHB Economics estimates that out of this total, 4.5 million people worked in residential construction, accounting for 2.9% of the US employed civilian labor force. Home building in multiple states in the Mountain Division, as well as in Vermont, Florida, and… Read More ›
Job growth continued in February. After a revised 504,000 job gain in January, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 311,000 in February, and the unemployment rate edged up to 3.6% from 3.4% in January. Wage growth increased to a 4.6% year-over-year gain from 4.4% last month, but down compared to February 2022. Today’s job report indicates that, overall, the labor… Read More ›
Job growth rebounded in January. After a declining yet positive pace for five consecutive months, total nonfarm payroll employment growth accelerated and increased by 517,000 in the first month of 2023 and the unemployment rate hit a 53-year low at 3.4% as more people entered the labor market. Construction industry employment (both residential and non-residential) totaled 7.9 million and exceeds… Read More ›
The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy increased in December, rising to 11 million, the highest level since July. This was a surprise rise, as noted by many analysts, particularly given a growing chorus of corporate hiring freezes and job cuts. For now, the December data appears to be more noise than signal, although certainly that conclusion… Read More ›
Job growth slowed in recent months, but the overall labor market remains tight. In December, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 223,000, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.5%, back to its lowest point before the pandemic. However, in a positive sign for inflation, wage growth slowed to a 4.6% year-over-year gain, the slowest pace since August 2021. Construction… Read More ›