Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction: NAICS 237

About the Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction subsector

The heavy and civil engineering construction subsector is part of the construction sector.

The Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction subsector comprises establishments whose primary activity is the construction of entire engineering projects (e.g., highways and dams), and specialty trade contractors, whose primary activity is the production of a specific component for such projects. Specialty trade contractors in Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction generally are performing activities that are specific to heavy and civil engineering construction projects and are not normally performed on buildings. The work performed may include new work, additions, alterations, or maintenance and repairs.

North American Industry Classification System

The heavy and civil engineering construction subsector consists of these industry groups:

Utility System Construction: NAICS 2371
Land Subdivision: NAICS 2372
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction: NAICS 2373
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction: NAICS 2379

Workforce Statistics

This section provides information relating to employment in heavy and civil engineering construction. These data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, mass layoffs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.

Employment and Layoffs


Data series	Jan. 2013	Feb. 2013	Mar. 2013	Apr. 2013
Employment (in thousands)
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted)	887.2	897.9	(P) 887.1	(P) 883.3
Employment, production and nonsupervisory employees	599.8	611.5	(P) 627.8
Layoffs
Mass layoff events	88	37	39
Initial claimants for unemployment benefits	6,544	3,645	3,054
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Mass Layoff Statistics)

Extended Mass Layoffs


Data series	2nd quarter 2012	3rd quarter 2012	4th quarter 2012	1st quarter 2013
Extended mass layoff events	74	39	(P) 374	(P) 69
Separations	9,935	7,451	(P) 54,801	(P) 8,022
Initial claimants	12,556	8,748	(P) 62,122	(P) 8,414
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)

Employment by Occupation


Data series	Employment, 2012
Carpenters	27,180
Construction laborers	188,840
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers	60,410
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	97,790
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer	36,330

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Projections

For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for heavy and civil engineering construction.

(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)

Earnings and Hours

This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours. The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in heavy and civil engineering construction.

Earnings and Hours of All Employees


Data series	Dec. 2012	Jan. 2013	Feb. 2013	Mar. 2013
Average hourly earnings	$26.88	$26.65	$26.89	(P) $26.43
Average weekly hours	42.7	40.9	41.6	(P) 42.4
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings and Hours of Production and Nonsupervisory Employees


Data series	Dec. 2012	Jan. 2013	Feb. 2013	Mar. 2013
Average hourly earnings	$24.30	$24.12	$24.41	(P) $24.17
Average weekly hours	43.0	41.3	41.9	(P) 43.1
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings by Occupation


Data series	Wages, 2012
	Hourly		Annual
	Median	Mean	Median	Mean
Carpenters	$22.22	$24.62	$46,210	$51,220
Construction laborers	$15.14	$17.86	$31,500	$37,150
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers	$28.78	$30.34	$59,860	$63,120
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	$21.90	$24.20	$45,560	$50,330
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer	$17.39	$19.25	$36,180	$40,040

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses

This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in heavy and civil engineering construction. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.


Data series	2008	2009	2010	2011
Fatalities
Number of fatalities	226	214	175	196
Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers
Total recordable cases	4.2	3.8	3.8	3.5
Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer	2.2	2.2	2.2	2.0
Cases involving days away from work	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.2
Cases involving days of job transfer or restriction	0.8	0.7	0.9	0.7
Blank cells indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)

Workplace Trends

This section presents data on the number of establishments in heavy and civil engineering construction.

Establishments


Data series	4th quarter 2011	1st quarter 2012	2nd quarter 2012	3rd quarter 2012
Number of establishments
Private industry	51,471	(P) 50,760	(P) 50,821	(P) 51,032
Local government	4,411	(P) 4,393	(P) 4,398	(P) 4,398
State government	1,668	(P) 1,664	(P) 1,666	(P) 1,672
Federal government	1	(P) 1	(P) 1	(P) 1
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

Other BLS Resources

Career Guide to Industries

To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.

Data extracted on: May 17, 2013

Industries at a Glance