Both nonresidential (3,700) and residential (4,700) specialty trade contractors saw an increase in new jobs, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors, but nonresidential builders (-1,300), residential builders (-2,400) and heavy/civil engineering contractors (-3,900) all lost positions.
The inability of the construction industry to add jobs for the third month in a row, in contrast to a general uptick in employment for the country overall (287,000 new jobs), is due in part to a drop in public construction spending, as indicated by the job loss in the heavy/civil engineering sector, according to ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.
