The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) announced Friday that even as the number of people working in construction increased by 5,000 between September and October 2010, the industry's unemployment rate rose to 17.3 percent.
Association officials noted that construction employment lagged behind other sectors of the economy. For example, while total private employment rose by 1.1 million during the past 12 months, the construction industry lost 122,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the industry's unemployment rate is nearly double the unadjusted national rate of 9.6 percent.
Nonresidential construction fared relatively well in October compared to residential construction, association officials said. Nonresidential construction employment added 10,300 jobs since September, while residential construction lost 5,800 jobs.
"These modest job gains are likely to be as temporary as the programs that are driving them," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's CEO. "What this industry needs now is the certainty that comes with consistent tax, regulatory and federal infrastructure policies and the opportunity that comes from sustained and robust private sector economic growth."