Bureau sees construction ranks nearing 8.4 million by 2033

Employment Projections — 2023-2033, a new Bureau of Labor Statistics report, tracks the addition of 6.7 million jobs to the U.S. economy over the next 10 years, 380,000 of them in Construction, 75,000 in Architectural, Engineering and Related Services occupational categories. The projected 4.7 percent gain in Construction jobs through 2033, where industry headcount would hover 8.4 million versus 8 million at present, contrasts with the prior decade’s 36.9 percent increase, a figure reflecting post-Great Recession building activity.

BLS economists project total Construction employment of nearly 8.4 million by 2033, the strongest gains likely in the Poured Concrete Structure subcategory.

Among the major Construction areas of residential building, nonresidential building and heavy/civil, BLS economists see respective employment gains of 3.9 percent, 5.9 percent and 4.9 percent over the 2023-2033 window. Under a subcategory of specialty contractors working with cement-based materials, they project increases and headcounts by trade: Foundation, Structure and Building Exterior, 3.7 percent, 1.03 million; Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure, 4.7 percent, 268,000; and, Masonry, 2.4 percent, 153,000.

Nearly matching the Masonry outlook figure is Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing, which spans ready mixed and manufactured concrete, brick, cement and lime production and, BLS notes, is on track for a 2.5 percent gain over the 2023-2033 window. Nonmetallic Mineral, Construction and Architectural & Engineering Services are among Employment Projections major occupational categories, across which BLS economists see overall growth of 4.0 percent, to nearly 175 million jobs in 2033.