The gains are seen in both residential and nonresidential segments and totaled to 6,881,000 jobs in February.
In February, residential construction added 18,900 jobs and nonresidential construction employment increased by 38,500 jobs. In total, construction employment reached 6,881,00 jobs.
"These numbers match what many contractors have been telling the association–that the demand remains strong for a variety of construction projects and that firms are still hiring when they can find qualified workers," said Ken Simonson, the AGCA's chief economist, in a statement.
The AGCA urged lawmakers and government officials to expand and fund employment training programs to teach workers the skills needed to enter the construction field, according to the statement.
The increase from January to February was the largest one-month gain since 2007 which could reflect the mild weather conditions, Simonson said in the statement. However, the growth is not solely weather-related as the year-over-year growth matched the industry's employment growth.
The year-over-year growth rate was nearly double the 1.8 percent rise in total nonfarm payroll employment, according to Simonson. Additionally, average hourly earnings in construction were $28.48, 9.2 percent more than the average for the overall private sector.
