WASHINGTON, DC—Building Trades union membership is on the rise, says North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) President Sean McGarvey.
“Despite macroeconomic headwinds, including high interest rates that provided challenges for project sponsors and investors, Building Trades union membership continues to rise,” McGarvey said. “We proudly announce that NABTU affiliates achieved a net membership growth of 49,554 in 2024. This increase, combined with 2023’s record growth, marks the most significant consecutive expansion of the Building Trades since the 1950s.”
By pointing to the 1950s, an earlier era when the United States invested heavily in infrastructure, McGarvey underlined how important federal legislation like the Inflation Reduction and CHIPs Acts are.
McGarvey added that the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data confirm that the union membership rate in construction continues to outpace the overall labor market. Overall NABTU union membership is more than 3 million.
“This sustained increase reflects the steady market share expansion we have experienced since 2012,” McGarvey said. “This surge in union membership within the construction trades secures the livelihoods of millions of working families and strengthens America’s middle class.”
Building Trades membership is fueled by apprenticeship, and those numbers are robust, too.
In 2024, the Building Trades had its highest-ever enrollment in registered apprenticeship programs nationwide: 314,958 people. For comparison, the LA Community College District, one of the largest in the nation, enrolls 205,000.
“This unmatched workforce development investment rooted in collective bargaining with our contractor partners ensures a robust pipeline of the most highly skilled workers to meet industry demands,” McGarvey said. “With a strong construction economy ahead, we remain confident in continuing this momentum—expanding opportunities for even more workers to join our ranks and building a stronger, more resilient workforce for generations to come.”
