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The nonresidential building and specialty trade contractors categories, which include contract glaziers and building exterior contractors, saw increased employment in February, according to USGNN.com™ analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 21,500 jobs for the month and 76,300 over the year, for increases of 0.9 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. Residential specialty trade contractors increased employment by 0.8 percent from January to February (14,900 jobs) and 4.8 percent from February 2016 (89,300 jobs).
Employment in nonresidential building, however, added just 1,900 jobs monthly for a 0.3-percent increase and lost 3,400 year-over-year for a 0.4-percent decrease.
Overall construction employment rose 0.9 percent for the month and 3.3 percent for the year.
Meanwhile, Dodge Data & Analytics reports new construction starts in February rose 2 percent from the previous month and by the same percentage from February 2016.
Nonresidential building retreated 9 percent in February following an 18-percent gain in January. Construction in this category increased 10 percent from a year ago. The institutional category saw a 14-percent monthly decrease but a 16-percent increase from February 2016. Commercial building also dropped in February 2016, by 11 percent, but increased 12 percent over the last 12 months.
The multifamily sector saw a 23-percent decline for the month after a 24-percent growth rate over the prior two months.
