Construction job openings reached 245,000 in May, according to the Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number is 3,000 higher than the 242,000 construction job openings in April, but 130,000 lower than the 375,000 openings in May 2024.

“Industrywide labor demand continued to be subdued in May,” Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors, said in a statement. “Job openings are down about 35% year-over-year and layoffs remain historically uncommon.”

In May, total hires reached 361,000, while total separations from employment—including but not limited to workers who were layed off, discharged or quit—were recorded at 368,000. “It’s unclear how immigration policy uncertainty is affecting these data,” said Basu. “To the extent that a decline in the hiring of undocumented workers is not reflected, the industry could be significantly weaker than it appears.”

Still, said Basu, contractors are “optimistic.” According to ABC’s Confidence Index, more than half of survey participants expect to add staff in the second half of the year.