Nonfarm payroll
employment rose 110,000 in September, seasonally adjusted, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
Construction employment fell 14,000 in
September and was down 112,000 or 1.5% compared to September 2006. But that
masks divergent trends in nonresidential and residential construction. Over the
past 12 months, employment in the three nonresidential
categories-nonresidential building, specialty trades, plus heavy and civil
engineering-climbed 42,000 or 1%. Residential building and specialty trades
employment shed 154,000 jobs or 4.5%. That gap, while large, may greatly
understate the actual difference.