The industry has added 297,000 net new jobs since August 2017, a 4.3 percent increase. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 9,600 net jobs in August, although the heavy and civil engineering category lost 200 net jobs for the month.

The United States and more than half of the states (27) posted their lowest July construction unemployment rate on record. It is also the first time since August 2017 that all 50 states had a construction unemployment rate under 10 percent.

The June 2018 not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate increased 0.2 percent to 4.7 percent from June 2017. At the same time, the construction industry employed 282,000 more workers nationally than in June 2017.

While the strong U.S. economy contributed to a positive forecast, a rapid rise in interest rates and materials prices could cause a dip in construction sector spending, especially given ongoing international trade issues.