Construction industry adds 30,000 jobs in December

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 148,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment gains occurred in health care, construction, and manufacturing.

Construction added 30,000 jobs in December, with most of the increase among specialty trade contractors, up 24,000. In 2017, construction employment increased by 210,000, compared with a gain of 155,000 in 2016.

In December, the unemployment rate was 4.1% for the third consecutive month.The number of unemployed persons, at 6.6 million, was essentially unchanged over the month.

Over the year, the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons were down by 0.6 percentage point and 926,000.

Long-term unemployed, those jobless for 27 weeks or more, was little changed at 1.5 million in December and accounted for 22.9% of the unemployed. Over the year, the number of long-term unemployed declined by 354,000.

Employment in retail trade was about unchanged in December, down 20,000. Within the industry, employment in general merchandise stores declined by 27,000 over the month. Retail trade employment dropped in 2017 by 67,000 less jobs after increasing by 203,000 in 2016.

Employment in other major industries, including mining, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, and government, changed little over the month, the bureau reported.