Construction employment shows where demand is growing and how hiring varies by workforce and project type. In the United States, staffing differs by gender, age, and ethnicity—while state totals mirror housing, infrastructure, and urban development cycles.
The page breaks down residential, nonresidential building, heavy and civil engineering, and specialty trade contracting, then compares these patterns with trends across the European Union, India, and China.
Key Takeaways
- In US construction, men comprised 88.9% of employees in 2023, with women at 11.1%
- US construction workers aged 25-54 made up 65.2% of the workforce in 2023
- Hispanic or Latino workers held 34.1% of US construction jobs in 2023, highest ethnicity share
- In California, USA, construction employment was 927,000 in August 2024, the highest among states
- Texas construction jobs totaled 834,000 in August 2024, driven by infrastructure and housing booms
- Florida's construction sector employed 612,000 in August 2024, up 5.1% year-over-year
- Residential construction subsector in the US employed 4.1 million in September 2024, 51% of total construction jobs
- Nonresidential building construction in US had 1.15 million employees in September 2024
- Heavy and civil engineering construction employed 1.02 million in US September 2024
- In the United States, construction employment reached 8,017,000 in September 2024, marking a record high with a 4.2% year-over-year increase
- The European Union's construction sector employed 14.2 million people in 2023, representing 6.3% of total EU employment
- India's construction industry employed over 76 million workers in 2023, accounting for 14% of the national workforce
- US construction employment grew 3.8% year-over-year to September 2024, adding 296,000 jobs
- EU construction employment increased 1.2% from 2022 to 2023, recovering post-COVID
- India construction jobs grew 8.5% annually from 2018-2023, projected to add 10 million by 2027
In September 2024, US construction hit a record 8.017 million jobs, up 4.2% year over year.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographic Characteristics15 stats
01
In US construction, men comprised 88.9% of employees in 2023, with women at 11.1%
02
US construction workers aged 25-54 made up 65.2% of the workforce in 2023
03
Hispanic or Latino workers held 34.1% of US construction jobs in 2023, highest ethnicity share
04
White non-Hispanic construction employees were 50.3% in US 2023
05
Average age of US construction workers was 42.7 years in 2023, older than all industries average of 41.9
06
EU construction gender pay gap was 12.5% in 2022, with women earning less
07
In India, 90% of construction workers were male in 2023, mostly migrants aged 25-45
08
China's construction workforce was 95% male in 2022, average age 39 years
09
Australia construction had 12.5% female participation in 2024, up from 10% in 2019
10
UK construction ethnicity: 85% white, 8% Asian in 2024
11
Canada construction workers: 14% women, 25% visible minorities in 2023
12
Germany's construction average worker age was 45.2 years in 2023, facing shortages
13
Japan construction had 15% workers over 60 years old in 2023
14
Brazil construction informal workers 70% under 35, mostly male
15
Mexico construction 92% male, 40% indigenous ethnicity in 2024
Interpretation
Demographic Characteristics Interpretation
For the construction industry’s demographic characteristics, the workforce in the US in 2023 was heavily male at 88.9% and concentrated in prime working ages where those aged 25 to 54 were 65.2%, with Hispanic or Latino workers taking the largest ethnic share at 34.1%.
02 · Category
Regional Variations15 stats
01
In California, USA, construction employment was 927,000 in August 2024, the highest among states
02
Texas construction jobs totaled 834,000 in August 2024, driven by infrastructure and housing booms
03
Florida's construction sector employed 612,000 in August 2024, up 5.1% year-over-year
04
New York state had 410,000 construction workers in August 2024, focused on urban projects
05
In the EU's Germany region, construction employment was 3.7 million in 2023, with Bavaria leading at 450,000
06
UK's London area construction employment reached 250,000 in 2024, 11% of national total
07
India's Maharashtra state had 8.5 million construction workers in 2023, largest in the country
08
Brazil's São Paulo region employed 450,000 formal construction workers in 2024
09
Australia's New South Wales construction jobs were 320,000 in 2024, up 3.2%
10
Canada's Ontario province had 520,000 construction employees in 2024, 34% of national total
11
China's Guangdong province construction employment was 7.2 million in 2022, leading the nation
12
Mexico's Mexico City metro area had 250,000 construction jobs in 2024
13
South Africa's Gauteng province employed 350,000 in construction in 2023, 40% of national
14
France's Île-de-France region construction workers numbered 380,000 in 2023
15
Italy's Lombardy region had 280,000 construction employees in 2023
Interpretation
Regional Variations Interpretation
Regional Variations are clearly driving employment levels, with California leading at 927,000 construction jobs in August 2024 and London holding 250,000 in 2024, while in the EU Germany reached 3.7 million in 2023 with Bavaria at 450,000.
03 · Category
Sector Specific Employment17 stats
01
Residential construction subsector in the US employed 4.1 million in September 2024, 51% of total construction jobs
02
Nonresidential building construction in US had 1.15 million employees in September 2024
03
Heavy and civil engineering construction employed 1.02 million in US September 2024
04
Specialty trade contractors in US construction totaled 1.73 million jobs in September 2024
05
In EU, building construction employed 9.8 million in 2023, while civil engineering had 4.4 million
06
India's residential construction subsector had 45 million workers in 2023, 59% of total
07
China's infrastructure construction employed 25 million in 2022, half of sector total
08
Australia's residential building construction jobs were 450,000 in 2024, 37% of total
09
UK non-housing construction employed 1.2 million in 2024, 55% of sector
10
Canada's heavy construction subsector had 280,000 jobs in 2024
11
Germany's building completion employment was 2.1 million in 2023
12
Japan's civil engineering construction workers numbered 2.3 million in 2023, 45% of total
13
Brazil's infrastructure projects employed 1.2 million in 2024, 43% of formal construction
14
Mexico's residential specialty trades had 500,000 workers in 2024
15
France civil engineering construction employed 450,000 in 2023
16
Italy's building construction subsector had 1.4 million jobs in 2023
17
Spain specialty trade contractors employed 650,000 in 2024, 50% of construction total
Interpretation
Sector Specific Employment Interpretation
Sector specific employment shows how residential work dominates in multiple markets, with the US putting 4.1 million people in residential construction in September 2024, or 51 percent of all construction jobs, while India’s residential construction also leads with 45 million workers in 2023, making up 59 percent of its total.
More related reading
04 · Category
Total Employment15 stats
01
In the United States, construction employment reached 8,017,000 in September 2024, marking a record high with a 4.2% year-over-year increase
02
The European Union's construction sector employed 14.2 million people in 2023, representing 6.3% of total EU employment
03
India's construction industry employed over 76 million workers in 2023, accounting for 14% of the national workforce
04
China's construction sector had 52.5 million employed workers in 2022, down slightly from 53.1 million in 2021 due to economic shifts
05
Australia's construction employment stood at 1.23 million in June 2024, comprising 9.1% of total employment
06
Brazil's construction industry employed 2.8 million formally in Q2 2024, with informal estimates pushing it to 5.5 million total
07
Canada's construction employment was 1.51 million in September 2024, up 2.8% from the previous year
08
Germany's construction sector employed 3.7 million people in 2023, or 8.5% of the workforce
09
Japan's construction employment totaled 5.1 million in 2023, representing 7.2% of total employment amid labor shortages
10
Mexico's construction industry had 866,000 formal employees in Q3 2024, with total estimates at 3.2 million including informal
11
South Korea's construction workers numbered 1.98 million in 2023, down 1.5% due to aging workforce issues
12
United Kingdom construction employment was 2.2 million in mid-2024, accounting for 6.4% of total jobs
13
France's construction sector employed 1.45 million in 2023, or 5.2% of the economy's workforce
14
Italy had 2.1 million construction workers in 2023, facing a shortage of 200,000 skilled laborers
15
Spain's construction employment recovered to 1.3 million in 2024, up 12% from 2020 lows
Interpretation
Total Employment Interpretation
Across the Total Employment figures, construction work is expanding in several major economies, with the United States reaching a record 8,017,000 employed in September 2024 and a 4.2% year over year rise while Europe’s 14.2 million workers in 2023 remain a sizable 6.3% of all EU employment.
05 · Category
Trend And Growth Data20 stats
01
US construction employment grew 3.8% year-over-year to September 2024, adding 296,000 jobs
02
EU construction employment increased 1.2% from 2022 to 2023, recovering post-COVID
03
India construction jobs grew 8.5% annually from 2018-2023, projected to add 10 million by 2027
04
China construction employment declined 1.2% in 2022 after peaking in 2021 at 53.1 million
05
Australia construction employment rose 2.1% in 2024, driven by housing shortage
06
Brazil formal construction jobs increased 4.7% in Q2 2024 vs Q2 2023
07
Canada construction added 45,000 jobs year-over-year to September 2024, growth of 3.1%
08
Germany construction employment stable at 3.7 million in 2023, but hours worked down 0.5%
09
Japan construction jobs fell 2.3% from 2022 to 2023 amid demographic decline
10
UK construction employment up 1.8% in 2024, adding 40,000 jobs despite inflation pressures
11
US construction added 264,000 jobs over past 12 months to August 2024
12
EU construction employment rose from 13.8 million in 2020 to 14.2 million in 2023, CAGR 1.0%
13
India's construction workforce expanded from 71 million in 2020 to 76 million in 2023
14
China construction peak employment 53.7 million in 2019, down to 52.5 million in 2022
15
Australia construction jobs up 15,000 or 1.2% in Q2 2024 quarter-on-quarter
16
Brazil construction employment growth slowed to 2.1% in 2023 from 5.3% in 2022
17
Canada construction growth 4.2% year-to-date through September 2024
18
Germany construction added 50,000 jobs in 2023 despite economic headwinds
19
Japan construction employment down 150,000 from 2019 peak to 2023
20
UK construction output up 1.9% but employment growth lagged at 0.8% in 2024
Interpretation
Trend And Growth Data Interpretation
Global construction employment shows clear uneven growth, with the US up 3.8% year over year to September 2024 and India accelerating at 8.5% annually from 2018 to 2023 while China dipped 1.2% in 2022, underscoring how trend and growth momentum varies sharply by region.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Construction Industry Employment Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/construction-industry-employment-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Construction Industry Employment Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/construction-industry-employment-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Construction Industry Employment Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/construction-industry-employment-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level