U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Associated Builders and Contractors Both hiring and job separation declined in February. Jobs in the construction industry declined by 28,000 in February to 202,000, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Since February 2025, available positions have dropped 53,000. “Construction hiring fell to the slowest rate on record in February,” Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors said in a statement. “At the same time, contractors remained reluctant to lay off workers while employees were even more reluctant to leave.”   On a monthly basis, the number of hires are down by 88,000, while total job separations declined by 34,000. Year-over-year, the number of hires fell by 74,000, with separations were down by 57,000. Of all categories, the only number to increase was the yearly figure for layoffs and discharges—up 4,000 since February 2025.…