01/22/2026
The latest ABC data is sobering:
The construction industry lost 11,000 jobs in December, and added only 14,000 net new jobs in all of 2025. The weakest performance outside of the COVID year.
When projects get tight, labor is often the first pressure point.
But here’s an important connection we don’t talk about enough:
Saving money on job costs can actually help save and create jobs.
Cost overruns driven by design gaps, constructability issues, and field conflicts lead to delays, scope cuts, and stalled projects. That’s when hours disappear, crews get reduced, and hiring freezes follow.
When projects are planned with real field experience upfront, waste gets cut instead of people.
✔ Fewer change orders
✔ Less rework
✔ More predictable schedules
✔ Projects that stay viable and moving forward
For civil engineers and owners, this isn’t about cutting corners or fees. It’s about strengthening projects early so labor stays protected later.
At Alpine Civil Consulting, we work alongside civil engineers to bring construction reality into design coordination, helping projects get built right the first time.
In a market like this, smart collaboration isn’t just good practice.
It’s job preservation.
WASHINGTON (Jan. 9, 2026) — The construction industry lost 11,000 jobs on net in December, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment grew by 14,000 jobs, an increase of ...