#Factoftheweek: 6.6%
Construction is a good career for many. In fact, in January, workers in construction and mining saw the biggest pay bump when switching employers—something to the tune of 6.6% pay premium over the job stayers, according to ADP Research.
Compare this to the next industry—resources and mining, which was a 5.6% pay premium. Meanwhile, some industries, like leisure and hospitality, saw negative year-over-year change in pay for switching jobs.
But that’s not all the good news for construction. Pay for new hires also jumped in January in the construction industry.
For roughly a year and a half, the median base pay for recent recruits across all industries remained flat at around $18 an hour. That shifted last month, when starting pay for new hires climbed to $19 an hour. The rise was driven largely by industries such as construction and finance.
The increase in new-hire pay could be an early signal that the labor market’s low-hiring, low-firing stalemate is starting to loosen—potentially paving the way for greater job mobility and stronger wage growth in 2026. How long will it last? As always, that’s the big question everyone is asking. So, I guess we will all just have to wait and see what comes next.