CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists Report Explores Sectors and Metros Driving the Construction Jobs Recovery

CHICAGO – May 1, 2014 – While U.S. construction employment is still behind lofty pre-recession highs, many areas of the industry are reporting steady job growth, according to a new analysis from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI). Commercial and industrial building is outpacing residential construction, despite strong growth in remodeling and new housing developments. Heavy and civil engineering construction, however, has been the fastest growing sector since 2011.

Looking at new building construction, jobs in the residential sector are projected to grow 3 percent from 2011 to the end of 2014, bringing total employment to about 1,038,000 jobs. Commercial building jobs, meanwhile, are projected to grow slightly faster at 4 percent, to about 764,000 jobs.

The analysis uses EMSI’s extensive labor market database, which pulls from over 90 national and state employment resources and includes detailed information on employees and self-employed workers.

“It will be awhile before employment in construction reaches levels seen during the housing bubble, but recent job growth, particularly in residential remodeling and industrial construction, signal healthier consumer confidence and private-sector investment,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “The industry is an important economic bellwether, as growth has positive ripple effects up and down supply chains. Fortunately, we’re seeing significant year-over-year increases in job listings on CareerBuilder across a range of titles, including laborers, building inspectors, carpenters, and operating engineers.”

Residential vs. Non-Residential Construction Jobs

While job creation for residential and commercial building construction have been on similar paths since 2011, divergent trends emerge within each sector.

Residential Building

Driven by a decline through the remainder of 2014, jobs in new single-family housing construction are projected to drop 14 percent over the 2011-2014 timeframe. However, this is made up by strong gains in residential remodeling (17 percent growth) and new multifamily housing construction (7 percent growth).

Employment among new housing operative builders – developers who construct and sell multiple residential properties on a piece of land – is projected to grow 11 percent.

In total, these residential building sub-industries are projected to add 32,630 jobs from 2011 through the end of 2014.

Non-Residential Building

Industrial building construction jobs are projected to grow 6 percent, outpacing commercial and institutional building construction, which is expected to grow 3 percent. Together, the projected gains total 27,439 new jobs.

Top MSAs for Residential and Non-Residential Building Jobs

Among metro areas with a million or more residents, four California metros make the top ten for residential construction jobs. Austin, Texas, and Rochester, N.Y., meanwhile, are the only two metros to make the top ten for both new building construction sectors.

Infrastructure and Specialty Trade Construction

The other half of the construction industry includes infrastructure building and specialty trades that support all areas of construction. Heavy and civil engineering jobs are projected to grow 5 percent from 2011 to the end of 2014 (to about 939,000 overall). This growth is driven by significant gains in utility system construction jobs (11 percent). Jobs in specialty trade contracting are projected to grow 3 percent (to about 4,961,000 overall.) The growth in this sector is dominated by plumbing, heating, and electrical industries (6 percent.)

About EMSI

Economic Modeling Specialists Intl., a CareerBuilder company, turns labor market data into useful information that helps organizations understand the connection between economies, people, and work. Using sound economic principles and good data, EMSI builds user-friendly services that help educational institutions, workforce planners, and regional developers build a better workforce and improve the economic conditions in their regions. For more information, visit www.economicmodeling.com.

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visitwww.careerbuilder.com.

Media Contact

Jennifer Grasz

773-527-1164

jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com

CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com