By Dr. Tamara Patzer
Key Takeaways
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted about 8.37 million construction employees in October 2026 (preliminary) and 953,703 private construction establishments in the first quarter of 2026 (preliminary).
- BLS says roofers mostly learn on the job from experienced coworkers, and mastering every roof type can take several years.
- BLS projects about 587,000 openings a year in construction and extraction occupations from 2025 to 2035, many from workers who leave the field for good.
- BLS reported 370 fatal falls, slips and trips among construction and extraction workers in 2024, down from 400 in 2023.
A Big Industry Made of Small Work Sites
Walk past almost any new house, rooftop or pool deck, and the crew looks small. The numbers behind the crews are not. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, publishes an industry snapshot for construction that its page showed was extracted on November 3, 2026. It listed 8,367 thousand seasonally adjusted construction employees for October 2026, a preliminary figure.
The same BLS page counted 953,703 private-industry construction establishments in the first quarter of 2026, also preliminary. An establishment is a single physical work location, so the count is not the same as the number of companies. A firm with three offices counts three times. Still, it gives a fair picture of the scale: nearly a million places where construction businesses operate.
A companion BLS page for the construction of buildings subsector, which covers home and commercial builders, listed 295,409 private establishments for the same quarter, also preliminary. Roofing, HVAC, plumbing, pool, and solar contractors sit in other parts of the industry.
Learning the Trade by Watching
Ask a roofing contractor how a new hire gets good, and the answer is rarely a binder. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, in a roofer profile dated September 14, 2026, says no formal education credential is typically required. Most roofers learn on the job from experienced coworkers. New workers pick up basic tasks within a few months, the profile says, but gaining experience with every type of roofing can take several years.
About 166,900 people held roofing jobs in 2025, according to BLS. Roofing contractors employed 72 percent of them, and 20 percent were self-employed. In a trade organized that way, a veteran’s habits matter, and those lessons travel by example.
Air conditioning and heating work follows a similar path with more classroom time. The BLS handbook page for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics, last modified October 29, 2026, reported about 440,900 jobs in 2025. Employers often provide long-term on-the-job training after hiring, and apprenticeships usually last several years, combining work on site with yearly technical instruction. Nearly all technicians also need refrigerant handling certification from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Both profiles show that day-to-day know-how moves from person to person, which makes every experienced worker who leaves a loss for the crew.
Where the Openings Come From
BLS does not publish a count of construction retirements by trade. It does publish the openings it expects.
In its overview of construction and extraction occupations, last modified August 27, 2026, BLS projects employment growth faster than the average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035. It expects about 587,000 openings each year on average. Those openings come from growth and from replacing workers who permanently leave their occupations. The page does not split out retirements from other exits.
For individual trades, the handbook is more specific about where openings come from. For roofers, it projects 5 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, about 8,800 added jobs, and roughly 12,000 openings a year. Many, it says, result from workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the workforce, such as by retiring. For heating, air conditioning and refrigeration, it projects 11 percent growth, from 440,900 to 489,100 jobs, with about 40,600 openings a year, again driven partly by workers who move on or retire.
BLS does not measure how much knowledge leaves with those workers.
Falls Still Define the Risk
Training matters most where the stakes are highest. BLS released its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries for 2024 on February 19, 2026. It counted 5,070 fatal work injuries across all U.S. workers in 2024. Fatal falls, slips and trips fell 4.6 percent to 844, from 885 in 2023.
Construction and extraction occupations recorded 1,032 fatal injuries in 2024. Fatal falls, slips and trips in that group dropped 7.5 percent, to 370 from 400 a year earlier. BLS also reported that 10.8 percent of all fatal falls, slips and trips involved a fall from more than 30 feet. The release does not give a construction industry total, so the occupation figures cover everyone in those jobs, including some outside the construction industry.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says on its fall protection page that falls are among the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. For the construction industry, OSHA requires fall protection at six feet. It also requires protection when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the distance.
A rule that starts at six feet is one a trainee has to learn on the first day, usually from someone standing next to them.
Where AI Fits, and Where It Does Not
The government sources opened for this report say little about artificial intelligence on the job site itself, so claims about crews using AI tools to plan or inspect work should be weighed with care. What is documented is research aimed at buildings after they are built.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) lists an AI for Building Systems Innovation Program in its Engineering Laboratory. The page shows the program as created February 19, 2026, and updated November 2, 2026. It says the program seeks to advance measurement science to improve building operations, including system reliability and occupant comfort and safety. For now, it is a research effort, not a tool a crew can pick up. The knowledge still has to be passed along by the people who hold it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many construction businesses are there in the United States?
BLS counted 953,703 private-industry construction establishments in the first quarter of 2026, a preliminary figure. Establishments are work locations, so the number of separate companies is lower.
How do new roofers and HVAC technicians learn the work?
BLS says most roofers learn on the job from experienced coworkers, and some enter through apprenticeships. HVAC technicians often train after hiring or through programs of 6 months to 2 years, and apprenticeships usually last several years.
How many construction jobs open up each year?
BLS projects about 587,000 openings a year in construction and extraction occupations from 2025 to 2035, from growth and from workers who permanently leave their occupations.
At what height does OSHA require fall protection in construction?
OSHA requires fall protection at six feet in the construction industry, and at any height over dangerous equipment and machinery.
About the Author
Dr. Tamara “Tami” Patzer is a publisher and former newspaper editor who was on the staff of The Charlotte Sun when it was named a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist in Breaking News Reporting. She writes about AI and media literacy. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Contact: info@dailysuccessinstitute.com.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Industries at a Glance: Construction (NAICS 23), extracted November 3, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries release, February 19, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Construction and Extraction Occupations (August 27, 2026), Roofers (September 14, 2026), and Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (October 29, 2026)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Industries at a Glance: Construction of Buildings (NAICS 236)
- U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Fall Protection page
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, AI for Building Systems Innovation Program page, updated November 2, 2026
