The construction labor force is experiencing an occupational seesaw ride with the number of trade professionals declining while the number of the industry’s white-collar workers is rising.
According to a data analysis by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) of the latest 2024 data from the American Community Survey, the construction labor force exceeds 12.1 million workers, slightly above its mid-2000s peak. Construction trade professionals – including electricians, carpenters, painters, plumbers, and first-line supervisors – totaled 7.1 million workers, or 58.8% of the industry’s workforce. This is down from the peak of 8.5 million trade workers in 2006.
During the same time, white-collar construction industry employment grew, with management ranks expanding from 1.2 million to 2 million workers, a rise from 10% to 17% of the workforce.
“Several structural factors likely underpin these trends,” said Natalia Siniavskaia, assistant vice president for housing policy research at NAHB. “Advances in construction technologies—including digital design, project management software, and prefabrication—have increased demand for technical expertise. At the same time, a more stringent regulatory and building code environment has raised the need for administrative, compliance, and managerial functions.”
Siniavskaia added, “The changing workforce composition also coincides with declining self-employment rates in construction, suggesting a shift toward larger firms. These firms are generally better positioned to invest in new technologies, manage regulatory complexity, and absorb rising overhead costs.”
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