The May 6, 2022 federal jobs report shows the U.S. economy continues to strengthen with nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 428,000 jobs in April. Job growth was widespread, with gains in leisure and hospitality, in manufacturing, and in transportation and warehousing. Mining added 9,000 jobs in April, with a gain in oil and gas extraction of 5,000 jobs. Mining employment is 73,000 higher than a low reported in February 2021. The unemployment rate is now at 3.6 percent, the lowest number since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a tight labor market, what does this mean for the tunneling and underground industry? Research shows those numbers are trickier to find as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not single out tunneling and underground occupations. One must look under mining, oil and gas, and construction jobs to try and extract these numbers.
