Specialty Trade Contractors: NAICS 238

About the Specialty Trade Contractors subsector

The specialty trade contractors subsector is part of the construction sector.

The Specialty Trade Contractors subsector comprises establishments whose primary activity is performing specific activities (e.g., pouring concrete, site preparation, plumbing, painting, and electrical work) involved in building construction or other activities that are similar for all types of construction, but that are not responsible for the entire project. The work performed may include new work, additions, alterations, maintenance, and repairs. The production work performed by establishments in this subsector is usually subcontracted from establishments of the general contractor type or operative builders, but especially in remodeling and repair construction, work also may be done directly for the owner of the property. Specialty trade contractors usually perform most of their work at the construction site, although they may have shops where they perform prefabrication and other work. Establishments primarily engaged in preparing sites for new construction are also included in this subsector.

North American Industry Classification System

The specialty trade contractors subsector consists of these industry groups:

  • Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors: NAICS 2381
  • Building Equipment Contractors: NAICS 2382
  • Building Finishing Contractors: NAICS 2383
  • Other Specialty Trade Contractors: NAICS 2389

Workforce Statistics

This section provides information relating to employment in specialty trade contractors. These data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, mass layoffs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.

Employment and Layoffs

Data series Back
data
Jun.
2008
Jul.
2008
Aug.
2008
Sep.
2008

Employment (in thousands)

 

Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted)

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4,615.1 4,598.7 (P) 4,595.1 (P) 4,583.6

Employment, production workers

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3,776.5 3,801.2 (P) 3,815.4  

Layoffs

 

Mass layoff events

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58 36 83  

Initial claimants for unemployment benefits

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3,705 2,560 4,977  

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Mass Layoff Statistics)

Extended Mass Layoffs

Data series Back
data
3rd quarter
2007
4th quarter
2007
1st quarter
2008
2nd quarter
2008

Extended mass layoff events

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111 245 (P) 177 (P) 119

Separations

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9,858 25,958 (P) 18,816 (P) 11,383

Initial claimants

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15,823 31,541 (P) 22,265 (P) 11,146

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)

Employment by Occupation

Data series Employment,
2007

Carpenters

320,850

Construction laborers

377,080

Electricians

455,990

First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers

225,900

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

320,990

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Projections

For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for specialty trade contractors.

(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)

Earnings and Hours

This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours. The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours for production or nonsupervisory employees are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in specialty trade contractors.

Earnings and Hours of Production Workers

Data series Back
data
May
2008
Jun.
2008
Jul.
2008
Aug.
2008

Average hourly earnings

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$21.67 $21.81 $22.02 (P) $22.26

Average weekly hours

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38.1 38.8 38.7 (P) 39.0

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings by Occupation

Data series Wages, 2007
Hourly Annual
Median Mean Median Mean

Carpenters

$17.92 $19.87 $37,270 $41,320

Construction laborers

$13.07 $14.69 $27,190 $30,550

Electricians

$20.94 $22.87 $43,560 $47,570

First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers

$26.56 $28.48 $55,240 $59,240

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

$21.08 $22.88 $43,850 $47,590

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses

This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in specialty trade contractors. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.

Data series 2004 2005 2006 2007

Fatalities

 

Number of fatalities

761 679 728 (P) 680

Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers

 

Total recordable cases

6.8 6.8 6.3  

Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer

3.6 3.6 3.5  

Cases involving days away from work

2.6 2.6 2.4  

Cases involving days of job transfer or restriction

1.0 1.1 1.1  

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)

Workplace Trends

This section presents data on the number of establishments in specialty trade contractors.

Establishments

Data series Back
data
1st quarter
2007
2nd quarter
2007
3rd quarter
2007
4th quarter
2007

Number of establishments

 

Private industry

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(P) 555,192 (P) 559,852 (P) 563,154 (P) 560,746

Local government

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(P) 61 (P) 60 (P) 60 (P) 59

State government

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(P) 4 (P) 3 (P) 3 (P) 3

Federal government

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Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

Other BLS Resources

Career Guide to Industries

To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.

 

Data extracted on: October 08, 2008