U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Associated Builders and Contractors

Total job openings are up 25,000 when compared to the previous month. 

Job openings reached 259,000 in the construction industry in April, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The figure is 25,000 higher than the number reported in March, and 52,000 higher than the number of openings in April 2025.

Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors, said the higher number of openings indicates that contractors are “increasingly struggling” to fill vacancies. “Fewer construction workers were laid off in April than in any month since the first half of 2022, and industry-wide job openings, while still relatively low by historical standards, are up more than 25% over the past year,” he said in a statement.

Alisa Zevin is the economics editor for Engineering News-Record, covering economic issues within the construction industry, including construction economics and ENR's quarterly cost reports. She is based in New York City.