May 8, 2026 Industry News, News
Job growth persisted in April despite elevated interest rates and rising geopolitical uncertainty related to the Iran conflict, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3% in April and wage growth accelerated, with average hourly earnings rising 3.6% year-over-year. While this pace is 0.3 percentage points lower than a year ago, wage growth has been outpacing inflation for nearly two years, which typically occurs as productivity increases.
According to the Employment Situation Summary reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 115,000 in April, following an upwardly revised gain of 185,000 jobs in March. Revisions to prior months were modest overall.
Job growth in early 2026 remains well below 2024 levels but stronger than the weak pace recorded in 2025. Through April, monthly payroll gains have averaged 76,000, compared with 10,000 per month in 2025 and 122,000 in 2024.
In the construction sector, employment rose by 9,000 jobs in April, following a downwardly revised gain of 16,000 in March. Within the industry, residential construction lost 10,400 jobs, while non-residential construction added 19,000 jobs.
Residential construction employment now stands at 3.3 million in April, including 927,000 workers employed by builders and remodelers and nearly 2.4 million residential specialty trade contractors.
The six-month moving average of job gains for residential construction remains negative, reflecting an average monthly loss of 2,333 jobs and declines in three of the past six months. However, over the last 12 months, residential construction has lost a net of 49,200 jobs, marking the 14th consecutive annual decline and the longest stretch of annual losses since the Great Recession. Despite these declines, residential construction has gained 1,297,100 positions from its post-Great Recession low.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for construction workers declined to 3.7% in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, remaining relatively low compared with historical norms.
Tags April Bureau of Labor Statistics construction job market employment situation summary Industry News Job Market NAHB News slider unemployment rate
May 8, 2026
May 8, 2026
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