The government shutdown slowed employment, but construction weathered the storm—a positive sign for a sector still catching up from losses sustained during the recession.
The September jobs report showed that some higher-paying industries added jobs at a healthy pace. Construction companies, for example, added 20,000.
Josh Feinman, global chief economist at Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management says: "The labor market is continuing to create jobs. ...It's just frustratingly slow."
Construction hiring has improved every month since April 2013, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.