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Little Change for Number of Open Construction Jobs

As a result of a more restrictive monetary policy, the overall number of job opportunities across the economy has been decreasing in recent months. This reflects a slowing economy, which bodes well for future inflation indicators. Nonetheless, December’s figures indicated a rise, driven by unexpectedly robust GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2023.

According to the NAHB, in December, the number of open jobs for the economy increased to 9.0 million. This is notably lower than the 11.2 million reported a year ago. NAHB estimates indicate that this number must fall back below 8 million for the Federal Reserve to feel more comfortable about labor market conditions and their potential impacts on inflation.

While the Fed intends for higher interest rates to have an impact on the demand-side of the economy, the ultimate solution for the labor shortage will not be found by slowing worker demand, but by recruiting, training and retaining skilled workers. This is where the risk of a monetary policy mistake had some risk of arising. Good news for the labor market does not automatically imply bad news for inflation.

The number of open construction sector jobs was relatively unchanged in the most recent data, declining from 470,000 in November to 449,000 in December. The count was 488,000 a year ago, during an outlier month of strong data. The construction job openings rate decreased slightly to 5.3% in December. The recent, increasing trend indicates an ongoing skilled labor shortage for the construction sector.

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