WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 Union Members Summary released today, 11.1% of U.S. construction industry workers belong to a union, an increase from 10.3% in 2024, versus 88.9% who do not.
The BLS reported that 995,000 construction industry workers were members of a union, while 8 million chose to pursue their careers in merit-based construction in 2025. The construction industry grew to 9 million workers in 2025.
“Merit shop construction employment reached an all-time high in 2025. This demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of construction workers prefer to work in an environment where they can pursue their individual professional goals by acquiring new skills through industry-driven multiskilling and advance their careers based on merit and their desires,” said ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman. “Furthermore, the supermajority of construction companies choose this employment relationship as they deem a merit-based culture the best way to attract talent and the most productive means to deliver long-lasting, high-quality projects at affordable prices.
“Preserving this choice is imperative as the industry builds out America’s infrastructure and military as well as communities across the country. One way President Donald Trump can give the contracting community immediate regulatory relief and preserve this freedom of choice is by eliminating former President Joe Biden’s harmful, union-only-project labor agreement policies,” said Bellaman. “Eliminating PLA mandates would save taxpayers an estimated $10 billion per year on federal and federally assisted construction projects simply by creating a fair and open competitive landscape where 100% of the industry can participate.
“The industry is facing a workforce shortage of 349,000 in 2026, in addition to other major headwinds,” said Bellaman. “These include an aging and retiring workforce, immigration enforcement, high materials prices, tariffs, office vacancies and rapidly evolving technologies and innovation. Now is the time for the Trump administration to level the playing field in a way that creates more value for taxpayers through healthy competition for construction projects based on merit.”
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Donna Reichle Associated Builders and Contractors reichle@abc.org
