According to the most recent data released Friday by the US Department of Labor, after falling 0.4 percent from December to January, the unemployment rate in the US dipped another 0.1 percent in February to 8.9 percent, as employers added 192,000 jobs last month.
While the national unemployment rate fell 0.1 percent in February, unemployment in the construction sector dropped 0.7 percent from 22.5 percent in January to 21.8 percent in February-still more than twice the national average.
"Given what this industry has been through, figures like these are as welcome as they are long overdue," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "The question now is whether these figures reflect a thaw in economic conditions for the industry, or the benefits of warmer weather and less snow in many parts of the country in February."