The construction industry added 17,000 jobs in October, according to Natlie Kostelni, reporting in the Philadelphia Business Journal on data from the Associated General Contractors of America. Unemployment in the construction sector has declined to 11.4 percent. This is attributed to private-side demand. Still, even with 5.53 million people employed by the construction industry, it falls short of the 7.7 million employed six years ago. Kostelni notes that the AGCA does not expect Hurricane Sandy to have much impact on construction employment.