EMPLOYMENT LAW: Unemployment rate in Construction industry surges to 17.2 percent

October 11, 2010

Washington, D.C. – A US Department of Labor report has revealed a 17.2-percent increase in construction unemployment rate for the month of September, compared to 17 percent in August 2010.

The construction industry unemployment rate showed nearly 21,000 job losses in September. It had a total of 210,000 job losses for the last 12 months.

Construction sectors such as Nonresidential lost about 19,500 jobs while Residential laid off approximately 1,100 workers; civil engineering firms cut off 200 jobs for the month of September, reports said.

The Department of Labor had almost 95,000 job losses in all industries for September 2010.

Chief Economist Anirban Basu commented that the decline in employment opportunity requires more effort from the government to surpass the challenges of recession.