The nation's jobless rate (4.5 percent) and the number of unemployed persons (6.4 million) changed very little in June, according to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The construction industry lost 7,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.7 percent.

The BLS reports that of the 6.9 million workers employed in the industry, 64 percent work in the specialty sector, outpacing those in general building firms (22 percent) and heavy construction (13 percent).