Seasonally adjusted construction employment fell from May to June in 26 states and the District of Columbia, rose in 21 states, and was flat in Hawaii, Mississippi, and New Hampshire, according to AGC’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data posted today. It was the first time since April 2024 that a majority of states shed construction jobs. Texas lost the most construction jobs (-4,100 or -0.5%), followed by Maryland (-2,400, -1.5%), Florida (-1,600, -0.2%), and Nevada (-1,500, -1.4%). South Dakota lost the highest percentage (-1.6%, -500), followed by Maryland and Nevada. California added the most (3,800 jobs or 0.4%), followed by North Carolina (2,300, 0.8%), Minnesota (2,200, 1.6%), and Wisconsin (2,100, 1.5%). Montana had the largest percentage gain (1.9%, 700), followed by Minnesota and Wisconsin. Over 12 months 33 states and D.C. added construction jobs, while 17 states shed jobs. Texas added the most (20,900 or 2.4%), followed by Ohio (17,700, 7.2%) and Michigan (11,000, 5.6%). New Mexico had the largest percentage gain (14.8%, 7,900), followed by West Virginia (8.6%, 2,900), Idaho (8.1%, 5,800), and Ohio. Washington lost the most (-11,300, -5.0%), followed by California (-9,700, -1.1%) and New York (-8,500, -2.2%). Washington had the largest percentage loss, followed by New Jersey (-4.8%, -6,300) and Nevada (-3.5%, -3,900). (For D.C., Delaware, and Hawaii, BLS posts combined totals for mining, logging, and construction; AGC treats the changes as all from construction.)

Input prices for new nonresidential construction rose 0.2% in June, not seasonally adjusted, and 2.3% year-over-year (y/y), according to producer price index (PPI) data BLS posted on Wednesday. AGC posted tables and charts of PPI changes relevant to construction. The y/y change was the largest since February 2023. There were notable y/y increases in the PPIs for aluminum mill shapes (6.3%) and steel mill products (5.1%, including jumps of 22.5% for fabricated structural metal for bridges and 8.3% for bar joists and rebar). PPIs are based on domestic producers’ prices but these increases likely reflected reactions to the 50% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum that took effect on June 4. Numerous tariff increases for countries that supply construction materials and equipment have been announced to take effect on August 1: Brazil, 50%; Canada, 35%; European Union and Mexico, 30%; Japan and Korea, 25%; and copper from all countries, 50%. Readers are invited to consult AGC’s Tariff Resource Center for the latest details and to send information about project timing, materials price changes, and supply chains to ken.simonson@agc.org.

“Economic activity increased slightly from late May through early July,” the Federal Reserve reported on Wednesday in its latest Beige Book, which “characterizes regional economic conditions and prospects based on a variety of mostly qualitative information, gathered directly from” sources in the 12 Fed districts. “Construction activity slowed somewhat, constrained by rising costs in some districts…. In all 12 districts, businesses reported experiencing modest to pronounced input cost pressures related to tariffs, especially for raw materials used in manufacturing and construction.” AGC posted construction-related excerpts from each district.

“The first year of new settlements [wages, health and welfare, retirement, apprentice, and other employer payments] reached from January through June of 2025…for union craft workers in the construction industry had an average [mean] increase of 4.7%,” the Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) reported on Tuesday. “From 2020 to 2023, increases rose sharply…going from 2.8 to 4.7% in just three years. In the two years following 2023, the average percentage increase for settlements remained consistent at 4.6/4.7%.” Among six regions, the median increase ranged from 4.3% in the East North Central region to 5.7% in the Northwest. Among 15 crafts, the median increase ranged from 3.7% for iron workers to 5.8% for insulators. “The average total package increase…for all contract years for union crafts in construction was 3.9% . CLRC projects increases to reach approximately 4.1% by 2027. These results include those from all years of active settlements (e.g., previous years such as 2023 and 2024 as well as future years).”

Housing starts (units) in June rose 4.6% for the month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate but dipped 1.0% for the first six months of 2025 year-to-date (YTD) compared to January-June 2024, the Census Bureau reported today. Single-family starts fell 4.6% for the month and 6.9% YTD. Multifamily (five or more units) starts soared 31% from May and 16% YTD. Residential permits edged up 0.2% for the month but fell 3.2% YTD. Single-family permits declined 3.7% and 5.5%, respectively. Multifamily permits climbed for the third-straight month, by 8.1% from May and 1.0% YTD.

Contractors are invited to complete the AGC/NCCER Workforce Survey by August 15.

Kind of a mixed bag here. Multi family homes are having escape velocity because of its profitability. But the overall decline in Jobs fits into the recession narrative. Curious if the rebuilding efforts of the California fires is driving growth there.