WASHINGTON, Aug. 4—The construction industry recorded 305,000 job openings on the last day of June, 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 14,000 last month and are up by 81,000 from the same time last year.

“Interpreting these data is often challenging,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “One could take these figures at face value and conclude that construction is thriving and driving demand for workers higher. Indeed, ABC’s Construction Confidence Indicator shows that the average contractor expects rising revenues and employment over the next six months.

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