TL;DR
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U.S. construction employment is projected to grow from about 8.27 million jobs in 2025 to 8.68 million in 2035, a net gain of 410,700, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections analyzed by the NAHB. Specialty trade contractors are projected to account for 270,600 of those jobs, with electricians showing the largest occupational gain in that segment.
U.S. construction employment is projected to rise by 410,700 jobs from 2025 to 2035, reaching about 8.68 million, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections analyzed by the National Association of Home Builders. The projected 5% increase is faster than the 3.5% growth forecast for total U.S. employment, though it describes a forecast rather than jobs already created.
The analysis estimates the industry will grow from approximately 8.27 million jobs in 2025 to 8.68 million in 2035. The projection covers a decade and counts a net increase across construction employment; it does not mean every occupation, region or type of contractor will add jobs at the same rate.
Specialty trade contractors are projected to add 270,600 jobs, while residential building construction is expected to add 34,200. Together, those segments account for about 74% of the projected net gain. Specialty trades include work such as electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and roofing.
Within specialty trade contractors, electricians are projected to gain 65,700 jobs between 2025 and 2035. Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers are forecast to add 40,900; construction laborers, 34,800; and plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, 27,900. These are occupational projections within the segment, not additional totals beyond the industry-wide estimate.
Where Construction Jobs May Grow
The forecast points to a larger role for specialty contractors in the industry’s expected employment growth. Their projected 270,600-job increase makes them the largest contributor among the segments listed in the analysis, with demand spanning several building systems and trades. For workers, employers and training providers, the occupational figures indicate which lines of work are expected to account for many of the projected openings and additions.
Residential construction’s projected increase is smaller than the specialty-trades gain, but the analysis identifies growth across on-site work, supervision and project coordination. In that segment, construction laborers are forecast to add 13,900 jobs and carpenters 8,100. Construction managers are projected to gain 5,100 jobs, while first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers are expected to add 2,800.
Those numbers can inform decisions about hiring and workforce preparation, but they are not guarantees of future employment or evidence that labor shortages will occur. The projections describe expected change in employment, not the number of workers employers will need to replace people who leave or retire.
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Federal Projections Behind the Estimate
The figures come from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections and an analysis by the NAHB, as reported by Hardware Retailing. The comparison is between projected construction employment in 2025 and 2035. The analysis puts construction’s expected growth at 5%, compared with a projected 3.5% increase in total U.S. employment over the same period.
Within residential building construction, the analysis also forecasts 1,700 additional project management specialists. Across specialty trades, first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers are projected to gain 17,300 jobs, and construction managers 11,200. These occupation estimates help show how the projected increase is distributed; they do not change the overall net gain of 410,700.
Forecast Limits and Open Questions
The figures are projections, not observed job gains. The source material does not provide regional estimates, annual hiring paths or details about the assumptions behind the forecast, so it is not possible from these figures alone to say where or when the jobs would be added. Actual employment could differ as economic conditions and construction activity change.
The reported totals also do not establish how many positions will be difficult to fill, what wages or working conditions will be, or how much of the expected growth will reflect new projects rather than shifts in the mix of construction work. The projection gives a national, decade-long outlook; more detailed information would be needed to answer those questions.
Tracking Jobs Through 2035
The forecast’s time frame runs through 2035, so the next evidence will come from actual employment data and future updates to federal projections. Comparing those figures with the 2025 estimate will show whether construction employment is tracking the projected path and whether the expected gains are appearing in specialty trades and residential building.
For now, the report offers a long-term estimate, not a short-term hiring announcement. Employers, workers and training organizations can use the occupational breakdown as one reference point, while recognizing that the numbers may change as new data and forecasts become available.
Key Questions
How many construction jobs are projected to be added by 2035?
The BLS projections analyzed by the NAHB estimate a net increase of 410,700 jobs, from about 8.27 million in 2025 to 8.68 million in 2035.
Which construction segment is projected to add the most jobs?
Specialty trade contractors are forecast to add 270,600 jobs, the largest segment gain reported in the analysis.
Which specialty-trade occupation has the largest projected increase?
Electricians are projected to gain 65,700 jobs from 2025 to 2035 among specialty trade contractors.
Are the 410,700 jobs already being created?
No. The figure is a forecast for 2025–2035, not a count of jobs already created or a guarantee of future hiring.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
