With soft construction job hiring in March, and a steady number of job quits, the residential sector saw a net decline in the total number of jobs month over month.

The number of open construction jobs in March declined from the eight-year highs seen in February but still posted the third highest number since the economic turnaround. At the same time, job hires in the construction segment were the fewest since September 2014.

The National Association of Homebuilders analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest report found that there were 147,000 open construction sector jobs in March, down from the 160,000 in February, which was the highest monthly total since 2007.

The number of job quits in March was 122,000 leading to a net decline in total number of jobs in the residential construction segment.