Read more: Construction employment booms despite slowdown in overall job growth

Employment in leisure and hospitality remained steady in November (+23,000), following large gains earlier in the year. The leisure and hospitality sectors have added 2.4 million jobs in 2021, but employment in the industry is still below pre-pandemic levels by 1.3 million (7.9%).

Kushi also highlighted the steady gains in construction employment, which grew by 31,000 in November.

“It was a strong month for construction,” she said. “Broad-based gains as specialty trade contractors were up 13,000, construction of buildings up 10,000, and heavy and civil engineering construction jobs up 8,000. We need more homes, and in such a labor-intensive industry, you need more workers to build more homes.

“Job growth increased 0.5% for residential construction building, a faster pace than previous months. Residential building is up approximately 5.8% compared with pre-COVID levels, while non-residential remains 3.3% below. Attracting skilled labor remains a key priority for the construction industry.”