Construction employment increased by 122,000 workers in December 2013 versus year-ago levels, the Associated General Contractors said.
Construction employment totaled 5.8 million people in December, an increase of 2.1% over year-ago levels. The unemployment rate for workers actively looking for jobs and last employed in construction declined from 13.5% to 11.4% across that timeframe, according to AGC's analysis of government.
The number of unemployed construction workers dropped from 1.1 million a year ago to 958,000 in December 2013, AGC said.
On a monthly basis, construction employment in December declined by 16,000 workers versus November levels, However, AGC noted that employment levels are likely affected by cold weather.
"Given the variability of weather, especially in winter, the downturn in December is not cause for alarm," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist.
He noted, however, that there is still a spotty recovery under way in the construction sector.
"The data does show how uneven the recovery remains, with residential construction doing very well, but the public sector remains weak and private nonresidential construction is mixed," he said.
With the December growth, construction employment remains nearly 1.9 million below the sector's April 2006 peak, AGC said.
By Truck Fleet Management
