North Carolina Construction News staff writer
North Carolina’s construction industry added 1,600 jobs in May 2025, continuing a yearlong growth trend even as the state’s overall unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent, according to new data released by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged from April and was 0.5 percentage points lower than the national rate, which held at 4.2 percent.
Over the past 12 months, North Carolina added 7,900 construction jobs — part of a broader gain of 67,900 nonfarm jobs statewide. Construction accounted for more than 11 percent of that total increase.
While total nonfarm employment in May increased slightly by 400 jobs from April, construction led all sectors in monthly growth, followed by Trade, Transportation & Utilities (+1,300), Government (+300), Leisure & Hospitality Services (+100), and Private Education & Health Services (+100).
Some industries, however, experienced job losses in May, including:
- Professional & Business Services (-2,200)
- Manufacturing (-400)
- Information (-200)
- Financial Activities (-100)
- Other Services (-100)
Mining & Logging employment was unchanged.
From May 2024 to May 2025, total private sector employment increased by 54,600, and government jobs rose by 13,300. Other notable year-over-year gains included:
- Private Education & Health Services: +18,100
- Professional & Business Services: +15,500
- Trade, Transportation & Utilities: +13,200
- Other Services: +4,800
- Financial Activities: +1,300
- Mining & Logging: +200
At the same time, the state saw employment declines in:
- Manufacturing: -5,400
- Information: -800
- Leisure & Hospitality Services: -200
Despite the growth in jobs, the number of employed North Carolinians dropped by 5,637 in May to 5,092,894. Over the past year, employment decreased by 4,394. The number of unemployed residents increased by 284 in May and by 6,683 since last year, reaching 196,576.
The state’s unemployment rate has remained at 3.7 percent since August 2024. The next employment update, which will include May 2025 county-level data, is scheduled for July 2, 2025.