The Construction Industry At A Glance

An understanding of the facts and trends related to construction employment and on-the-job safety will help you understand the context in which your construction injury claim will be presented and considered. This overview of the construction industry will provide you with information and statistics as to employment and job injury trends in the trade nationwide.

Employment Trends

More than 7 million people work in the construction industry, or a total of about 6% of the nation's work force.

From 1991 to 2001, the unemployment rate in the construction industry rose to 16.8 percent in 1992, and fell to 6.4 percent in 2000, before increasing to 7.3 percent in 2001. The overall unemployment rate in 2001 was 4.8 percent. Employment projections for the construction industry in 2010 indicate that employment in the industry will grow at a rate of 1.2 percent, somewhat more slowly than the 1.4 percent rate for the economy as a whole.

There were 771 extended mass layoffs in the construction industry in 2001.

In 2001, the average:

• Hourly earnings of workers in construction were $18.34. That same year, the average hourly earnings of all workers nationwide was $14.32.
  
  
• Workweek in the construction industry was 39.3 hours.
  
  
• Weekly earnings in the construction industry were $720.76.

Construction Injuries & Safety On The Job

Following are some statistics on safety and on-the-job injuries in the construction industry:

• Because only about 10% of construction companies employ more than 20 workers, the great majority have no formal job safety regulations or programs in place.
  
  
• In 1992, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the "lost-workday" rate for workers in the construction industry was 5.7 per every 100 full-time workers. This lost-workday rate was the highest of any major economic sector.
  
  
• One of every five workplace fatalities is a construction worker.
  
  
• There were 1,225 fatal occupational injuries in construction in 2001, excluding fatalities on September 11. Also in 2001, the latest year for which there is data, there were 481,400 nonfatal injuries and illnesses in construction. Incidence rates for nonfatal injuries and illnesses were 7.9 per 100 full-time equivalent workers in construction, and 5.7 per 100 full-time equivalent workers in all private industry in 2001.
  
  
• Nationwide, about 15% of workers' compensation costs are attributable to injuries in the construction industry.

From the U.S. Dep't of Labor Bureau Of Labor Statistics

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