Construction Boom or Labor Shortage | Annapolis News

Annapolis News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 4, 2026 · 1m

Construction is booming with over 300,000 job openings—up 81,000 from last year—but spending is actually falling, hinting that the surge may be driven by a desperate need for skilled labor, not growth. Retirements and workforce shifts are forcing companies to hire faster, while the broader job market shows mixed signals: hiring is slow despite rising openings, echoing conditions from a decade ago. Sectors like transportation and government are gaining jobs, while manufacturing and wholesale trade are cooling. Workers still hold the upper hand, with quit rates outpacing firings—but if hiring…