Home building is an industry dominated by small businesses around the nation. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveal the many job categories within the industry and their relative concentrations.
Previous NAHB research has examined the geographic scope of the building industry, as well industry surveys that present a census of builders and associated businesses.
BLS data from the 2012 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey allow reporting the roles workers play in home building. The OES survey defines employment as the number of workers who can be classified as full- or part-time employees. The following profile examines the Residential Building Construction industry group, which includes builders of for-sale and owner/contractor built single-family and multifamily housing, as well as residential remodelers.
Management jobs constituted approximately 9 percent of jobs in the residential construction industry, for a total of more than 48,000 positions. Office and administrative support made up the second largest category, which at just under 80,000 jobs represented 14 percent of sector employment. Sales staff and business/finance roles each made up about 4 percent of home building business jobs, each contributing approximately 24,000 jobs.
Other jobs in home building, generally representing about 6 percent in combination, include architects, lawyers, designers, building/grounds maintenance staff, security guards, drivers, and IT staff.
Not surprisingly, the largest share of home building/remodeling employment is concentrated in construction and extraction jobs. For 2012, more than 363,000 jobs were in such fields.
Carpenters make up almost half of construction/extraction jobs (47 percent), for a total of more than 171,000 jobs. The OES defines carpenters as workers who construct, erect, install, or repair structures made of wood. It also includes workers who install cabinets, drywall, siding, and insulation. Approximately 30 percent of carpenters nationwide are employed by the residential building construction sector.
Rounding out the construction segment of industry employment are construction laborers, worksite supervisors, brickmasons, stonemasons, carpet/tile installers, cement masons, equipment operators, drywall installers, electricians, glaziers, insulation workers, painters, plumbers, plasters, rebar workers, roofers, and sheet metal workers.
View this original post on the NAHB blog, Eye on Housing.
