WASHINGTON, Feb. 5—The construction industry had 292,000 job openings on the last day of December, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings increased by 8,000 in December and are up by 87,000 from the same time last year.

“This release paints a slightly more upbeat picture of the construction industry’s labor force dynamics,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The hiring rate rebounded from the historical lows seen in October and November, and industrywide job openings rose to the highest level since July.

Reprinted courtesy of ABC, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.