Construction jobs rose in March; spending tumbled in February; orders were mixed

Nonfarm payroll employment climbed in March by 162,000, seasonally adjusted, and the unemployment rate remained for a third straight month at 9.7 percent(10.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted), the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today [April 2]. Construction employment rose by 15,000 to 5,592,000, the first gain since June 2007. The increase followed a drop of 59,000 in February, which had unusually severe weather; it will take another month or more of data to determine if the March figure is a turnaround or an anomaly.

Nonresidential employment rose by 24,500, following a drop of 46,600, withsimilar patterns in all three BLS categories: nonresidential building (9,400 in March; -15,900 in February); nonresidential specialty trades (9,400; -19,900); and heavy and civil engineering, (6,000; -15,900), according to an April 4 Data DIGest report.

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