Construction employment changed little in September 2026, rising by 11,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation release of October 2. The industry had added an average of 10,000 jobs per month over the prior 12 months. Employment in nonresidential specialty trade contractors continued to trend up, by 12,000 in September. Manufacturing employment was also little changed, up 9,000 over the month, but is up 72,000 since a recent low in December 2025. Within manufacturing, plastics and rubber products manufacturing and machinery manufacturing each added 5,000 jobs in September. For context, total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 29,000 and the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent. Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose 5 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $37.81, up 3.0 percent over the past 12 months. That is an all-industry wage figure and not a measure of trade pay. These are industry-wide payroll counts from an establishment survey. They do not show demand for individual trades such as electricians or machinists, separate apprentices from journey-level workers, or report wage offers, and the figures are preliminary and subject to revision. Local opportunities still need employer- and location-specific checks.