Construction job openings jump to 298,000 as nearly 200,000 workers quit in September

The figures come from JOLTS, the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of job openings and labor turnover released Nov. 3. It counts an opening as any vacant position an employer is actively trying to fill. NAHB economists put the construction openings rate at 3.4%, compared with 2.4% in September 2025, and noted that the monthly series swings widely.

Workers are leaving on their own. Quits rose 46,000 from August and 71,000 from a year ago, ENR reported, lifting the quits rate to 2.4%, according to NAHB. Employers moved the other way: layoffs and discharges rose 25,000 for the month but were 56,000 below last year, and Associated Builders and Contractors said the layoff rate sits below every month on record before 2020. Hires increased by 49,000 in September.

ABC chief economist Anirban Basu said contractors are holding on to people they might otherwise cut, and that renewed shortages will drive labor costs up while borrowing stays expensive and material prices keep climbing. More than one in four contractors in ABC's Construction Confidence Index expect margins to shrink over the next six months.

NAHB said demand is coming from data center work and other non-housing sectors, while homebuilding employment has fallen over the past year. It also said immigration enforcement is reducing worker availability and causing no-shows on jobsites.