Nonresidential
construction added 64,000 jobs (1.5%) over the past 12 months.
While total construction employment dipped in July (down 0.7 percent compared
to the same time in 2006), nonresidential construction continues to grow,
leaping 14 percent from June 2006 to June 2007. The BLS report shows job gains
of only 1.5 percent in the past 12 months, which Simonson says shows a
discrepancy due to mislabeling workers as “residential” specialty contractors.