Total construction employment reached 5,964,000 in March, a gain of 151,000 jobs – or 2.6 percent of the workforce – from a year earlier. The unemployment rate for workers actively looking for jobs and last employed in construction declined from 14.7 percent a year earlier to 11.3 percent last month, as the reduced amount of skilled labor still in the industry are finding
more projects to work on.

Construction employers added just 19,000 workers to payrolls in March, though that was enough to move industry employment to the highest level since June 2009 and the unemployment rate down to the lowest March level in seven years. The increase was an improvement over February, when 15,000 jobs were added.

"The rate of construction hiring continues to outrun job growth in the overall economy for the past year," said Ken Simonson, the Associated General Contractors of America's chief economist. "Furthermore, the pickup has been well balanced, as both nonresidential and residential construction segments added workers last month and over the past 12 months."

Residential building and specialty trade contractors added a combined total of 9,100 workers in March and 103,000 (4.8 percent) over 12 months. Nonresidential construction, which includes building, specialty trades and heavy and civil engineering contractors, grew by 9,900 employees last month and 48,800 (1.3 percent) since March 2013.

"Although most construction employers who need workers have been able to find them so far, increasing numbers of contractors say they are having difficulty hiring," Simonson said. "Last month, the number of unemployed former construction workers fell to the lowest March level since 2007. More of these experienced workers are leaving the industry than are rejoining it."

The unemployment rate for construction workers has fallen by more than half since March 2010, when it reached 24.9 percent. During that time, the number of unemployed workers who last worked in construction declined by 1.3 million, but industry employment increased by only 445,000.

"Based on projects that have been announced in recent months, contractors are likely to be seeking workers for many types of construction in most parts of the country this spring," Simonson said. "Multifamily, manufacturing, and oil and gas-related facilities will generate particularly strong demand for workers. It will be a challenge to fill all the openings."