NAHB: construction labor shortages widen in September survey
NAHB’s Oct. 14 research release reports a higher average shortage share across nine tracked trades. The September survey does not say 47% of construction workers are missing.
By Scott Baker · 3 min read
Homebuilders reported more widespread labor shortages in September, according to National Association of Home Builders research released Oct. 14. Across nine trades tracked consistently over time, the average share reporting shortages of directly employed labor rose to 47%, from 42% in April 2025. Source.
A survey of builders, not a missing-worker count
The September Housing Market Index special questions asked builders about labor availability in sixteen trades. The 47% headline is an average of shortage-reporting percentages across nine consistently tracked trades. It is not the share of construction workers absent, the national vacancy rate or a count of unfinished homes.
The comparison with April 2025 is a five-percentage-point increase. It should not be described as a five-percent increase in worker shortages. The survey combines builders reporting some shortage with those reporting a serious shortage for each trade.
Carpentry and framing stand out
For directly employed labor, 58% of responding builders reported shortages of finished carpenters and 57% reported shortages of framing crews. The framing figure was nine percentage points above the earlier survey. Plumber and HVAC shortage shares were unchanged at 45% and 43%, respectively.
The report also asks separately about subcontractor availability. That separation matters because builders often hire outside trade firms rather than employ every worker directly. A subcontractor shortage percentage should not be relabeled as the corresponding direct-employee statistic.
NAHB says more than half of builders reported shortages in both categories for the same five trades: framing, rough and finished carpentry, bricklaying and concrete work. This indicates several areas of reported pressure without establishing a completion delay for a specific development.
Labor costs are another survey result
Respondents reported a median 4.2% increase in the labor cost of building the same house over the previous twelve months. Median means the middle reported increase, rather than the average. The measure is not a national construction wage index or the change in total home prices.
The special-questions report lists 415 responses from 3,158 builder members sent the questionnaire, a 13% response rate. That scope belongs with the findings: they describe participating builder members, not a complete census of every contractor and worker in the country.
NAHB’s explanation has limits
NAHB discusses competition for labor from other construction work, including data centers, and immigration enforcement as possible contributors. Those are the association’s explanations. The survey does not separately quantify either factor’s causal effect on the shortage percentages.
Takeaway for builders and construction lenders
The dated September survey points to wider reported trade-specific labor pressure and a higher median labor-cost estimate. For an individual project, the useful next evidence is its actual trade coverage, schedule and budget. These national responses do not establish a specific delay, financing outcome or future selling price.
NAHB reported direct-labor shortages
| Measure | Share reporting some or serious shortage |
|---|---|
| Nine-trade average, April 2025 | 42% |
| Nine-trade average, September 2026 | 47% |
| Finished carpenters, September 2026 | 58% |
| Framing crews, September 2026 | 57% |
Sources
NAHB September survey research, Oct. 14, 2026.
September HMI special-questions report, questionnaire and tables.
Cover: Official NAHB logo, a public-domain text logo; trademark rights retained. Enlarged without design changes. Provenance and rights.
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Transcript (on-screen text; original instrumental music, no narration): mortgage.news OCT 17; Builders report wider labor shortages; NAHB September 2026 HMI survey; Shortages reported: 47%; Average share of builders, 9 consistently tracked trades; April 2025 42%; Sept 2026 47%; Not a count of workers; Shortage share by trade; Finished carpentry 58%; Framing 57%; Median labor cost, same home; +4.2%; Last 12 months; Source: NAHB, Oct 14; mortgage.news