The number of open, unfilled positions in the construction industry increased in November, according to the delayed Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). 

As the labor market weakened at the end of 2025, the number of open jobs for the overall economy decreased, falling from 7.499 million in October to 7.146 million in November. The current level of open jobs is noticeably down from two years ago due to declines in construction activity, specifically housing.

An analysis from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) indicated that the number of open jobs had to fall beneath eight million on a sustained basis for the Fed to move forward on interest rate reductions.

The number of open construction sector jobs increased from 202,000 in October to 292,000 in November, reading relatively stable compared to 2024, although lower than two years ago. While home building employment was declining in the second half of 2025, other subsectors of the construction industry, like data centers, expanded.

The construction job opening state increased to 3.4% in November, higher than last year’s 3.2% estimated rate. The layoff rate in construction declined to 1.7% in November and the quits rate increased to 1.5% in November.