The construction industry’s heavy and civil engineering sectors saw an increase of 2,300 jobs between November and December of last year, according to just-released figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That monthly increase comports with a larger year-to-date increase of 12,800 new jobs for all of 2025, contributing to a heavy and civil engineering pool now of 1.1 million workers.
Those increased figures stand out in an industry whose December numbers were largely on the downside. The BLS report shows that employment in the nonresidential sector was off by 1,200 jobs in December; with the nonresidential specialty trade contractors down by 8,900 jobs compared to November.
The downward trend was also seen in the residential building sector, which was off by 4,200 jobs in December.
Altogether, the construction industry lost 11,000 jobs in December. And even the fact that the industry overall gained 14,000 new jobs for the entirety of 2025 is seen as a cause of concern.
“Excluding the first year of the Covid 19 pandemic, that’s the worst 12-month performance since 2011, when the construction industry was still spiraling from the Great Recession,” remarked Anirban Basu, chief economist with the Associated Builders and Contractors, in a statement.
Combining all industries, the U.S. saw an increase of around 50,000 new jobs in December, a figure below the roughly 60,000 or so forecast by many economists.
Those numbers, asserts the Wall Street Journal, provide evidence that “America’s job market has entered the slow lane.” The labor market, says the Financial Times, “is cooling off after years of strong growth.”
In a statement, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, had a different perspective, noting that some 650,000 news jobs were created for all last year and describing 2025 as a “blockbuster year of solid job growth.”
The Labor Secretary also pointed out that “wage growth is still running strong, up 4.1% in the last three months, and inflation has hit its lowest level in nearly five years.”
January 12, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of the Department of Labor
