Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
The current level of open jobs is down measurably from two years ago, due to declines in housing construction activity, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
The number of open jobs for the overall economy declined at the end of 2025, falling from 6.982 million in November to 6.542 million in December, which was down year over year, at 7.508 million.
A previous National Association of Home Builders analysis indicated that this number had to fall below eight million on a sustained basis for the Federal Reserve to move forward on interest rate reductions. With estimates remaining below eight million for national job openings, the Fed, in theory, should be able to cut further.
The number of open construction sector jobs increased from 284,000 in November to 292,000 in December. This total is higher compared to a year ago (205,000), but lower than two years ago.
While home building employment was declining during the second half of 2025, other subsectors of the construction industry have expanded.
The construction job openings rate increased to 3.4% in December, higher than the 3.2% rate estimated a year ago.
The layoff rate in construction declined to 1.5% in December. The quits increased to 1.5% for the month.
