Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics was able to provide data that had been previously delayed due to the October government\u00a0shutdown<\/a>. With the mid-December data release, the Bureau has now brought its reporting up to date.<\/p>\n The latest data, which includes November\u2019s results, suggests diverging labor trends between the broader economy and the\u00a0construction industry\u00a0<\/a>specifically.<\/p>\n Broad measures of employment remain underwhelming. Total jobs fell by 105,000 in October, followed by a better\u2014but still uninspiring\u2014gain of 64,000 jobs in November.<\/p>\n Importantly, the national\u00a0unemployment rate\u00a0<\/a>has risen in recent months, moving from 4.1% at mid-year to a November reading of 4.6%.\u00a0Excluding the distortions caused by COVID-19, the last time total unemployment was this high was in February 2017, nearly eight years ago.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In contrast,\u00a0labor tightness in the construction industry<\/a>\u00a0continues unabated, especially given\u00a0seasonal trends<\/a>. The latest construction unemployment rate, at a mere 4.1%, marks the third-lowest November reading since 2000.<\/p>\n To put this in\u00a0perspective<\/a>, the comparable average November unemployment rate since 2000 is 7.8%. However, labor demand within the industry remains uneven. Over the past three months, total residential jobs have contracted by 1,000 positions, while\u00a0nonresidential\u00a0<\/a>job growth has increased by 29,000.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Change](\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Change-in-Level-of-U.S.-Construction-Employment-dec-snapshot-2025-constructconnect.webp\")