Construction: NAICS 23

About the Construction sector

The construction sector is part of the goods-producing industries supersector group.

The construction sector consists of these subsectors:

• Construction of Buildings: NAICS 236
• Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction: NAICS 237
• Specialty Trade Contractors: NAICS 238

Workforce Statistics

This section provides information relating to employment and unemployment in construction. While most data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys, information on industry unemployment comes from a national survey of households. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, the unemployment rate of those previously employed in the industry, job openings and labor turnover, union membership and representation, gross job gains and losses, mass layoffs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.

Employment, Unemployment, Layoffs, and Openings, Hires, and Separations

Data series	Back data	Jun. 2012	Jul. 2012	Aug. 2012	Sep. 2012
Employment (in thousands)
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted)		5,514	5,517	(P) 5,518	(P) 5,523
Employment, production and nonsupervisory employees (seasonally adjusted)		4,135	4,133	(P) 4,129	(P) 4,133
Unemployment
Unemployment rate		12.8%	12.3%	11.3%	11.9%
Layoffs
Mass layoff events		91	86	96
Initial claimants for unemployment benefits		7,909	6,583	6,554
Job openings, hires, and separations (in thousands)
Job openings		71	(P) 93
Hires		433	(P) 427
Separations		294	(P) 379
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Current Population Survey, Mass Layoff Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey)

Union Membership and Representation

Data series	Back data	2008	2009	2010	2011
Union membership and representation
Members of unions (percent of wage and salary workers)		15.6%	14.5%	13.1%	14.0%
Represented by unions (percent of wage and salary workers)		16.2%	15.0%	13.7%	14.9%

(Source: Current Population Survey)

Dynamic Changes in Employment

Data series	Back data	1st quarter 2011	2nd quarter 2011	3rd quarter 2011	4th quarter 2011
Dynamic changes in employment (in thousands)
Gross job gains		613	662	678	623
Gross job losses		638	626	613	656

(Source: Business Employment Dynamics)

Extended Mass Layoffs

Data series	Back data	3rd quarter 2011	4th quarter 2011	1st quarter 2012	2nd quarter 2012
Extended mass layoff events		216	576	(P) 261	(P) 194
Separations		27,503	73,985	(P) 33,700	(P) 21,825
Initial claimants		33,822	88,327	(P) 41,749	(P) 23,702
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)

Employment by Occupation

Data series	Employment, 2011
Carpenters	476,300
Construction laborers	611,330
Construction managers	156,260
Electricians	377,460
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	199,180

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Projections

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

(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, as well as weekly earnings by union membership status, are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in construction. This section also contains information on the average cost of benefits paid by employers, as well as recent rates of change in wages and total compensation.

Earnings and Hours of All Employees

Data series	Back data	Jun. 2012	Jul. 2012	Aug. 2012	Sep. 2012
Average hourly earnings		$25.72	$25.78	(P) $25.76	(P) $25.87
Average weekly hours		38.5	38.4	(P) 38.6	(P) 38.9
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings and Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees

Data series	Back data	Jun. 2012	Jul. 2012	Aug. 2012	Sep. 2012
Average hourly earnings		$23.93	$24.00	(P) $23.97	(P) $23.98
Average weekly hours		39.1	39.1	(P) 39.0	(P) 39.2
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Union Membership and Representation

Data series	Back data	Median weekly earnings
		2008	2009	2010	2011
Union membership and representation
Full-time workers		$712	$744	$735	$746
Members of unions		$1,014	$1,072	$1,051	$1,059
Represented by unions		$1,012	$1,052	$1,046	$1,037
Nonunion		$668	$698	$692	$698

(Source: Current Population Survey)

Earnings by Occupation

Data series	Wages, 2011
	Hourly		Annual
	Median	Mean	Median	Mean
Carpenters	$19.24	$21.42	$40,030	$44,540
Construction laborers	$14.44	$16.62	$30,030	$34,560
Construction managers	$40.12	$44.98	$83,440	$93,550
Electricians	$22.99	$25.23	$47,810	$52,470
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	$20.82	$23.16	$43,310	$48,170

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Employer Compensation Costs

Data series	Back data	3rd quarter 2011	4th quarter 2011	1st quarter 2012	2nd quarter 2012
12-month percent change
Total compensation		1.0%	1.6%	1.6%	1.4%
Wages and salaries		0.7%	1.2%	1.1%	1.1%

(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)

Data series	Back data	2nd quarter 2012
		Compensation component ($ per hour worked)	Percent of total compensation
Compensation costs
Total compensation		33.38	100.0
Wages and salaries		23.17	69.4
Total benefits		10.21	30.6
Insurance		2.55	7.6
Retirement		1.80	5.4

(Source: Compensation Cost Trends)

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 construction. 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	2008	2009	2010	2011
Fatalities
Number of fatalities	1,016	879	802	(P) 759
Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers
Total recordable cases	4.7	4.3	4.0
Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer	2.5	2.3	2.1
Cases involving days away from work	1.7	1.6	1.5
Cases involving days of job transfer or restriction	0.7	0.7	0.6
Footnotes (P) Preliminary
Blank cells indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)

Workplace Trends

This section presents data on the number of establishments and the number of establishments experiencing job gains or job losses in construction.

Establishments

Data series	Back data	2nd quarter 2011	3rd quarter 2011	4th quarter 2011	1st quarter 2012
Number of establishments
Private industry		764,517	763,960	759,215	(P) 752,891
Local government		4,598	4,599	4,595	(P) 4,582
State government		1,652	1,671	1,673	(P) 1,671
Federal government		2	2	2	(P) 2
Establishments with changes in employment (in thousands)
With job gains (seasonally adjusted)		179	185	179
With job losses (seasonally adjusted)		180	175	183
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Business Employment Dynamics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

Other BLS Resources

The Editor's Desk

See industry studies in the subject matter index of The Editor's Desk (Current Edition).

Monthly Labor Review

See industry studies in the Index of the Monthly Labor Review Online (Current Issue).

Career Guide to Industries

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

 

Data extracted on: October 05, 2012