Housing = Jobs

As we celebrate New Homes Month in April, we are reminded of the positive, direct impact housing has on the economy. With the construction industry as the second largest employer in North Carolina, it can be no surprise that unemployment will be up when housing is down. The opposite is also true. When the housing market strengthens, unemployment goes down. Said differently: housing equals jobs.

The National Association of Home Builders estimates that for every new single-family home built, three new jobs are created. Jobs are generated in the industries where lumber, concrete, lighting fixtures, heating and cooling equipment, and other products that go into a home are produced. More jobs are created when real estate agents, lawyers and brokers provide services to home builders and home buyers. About half of the three jobs created by building an average single-family home are in the construction industry. Other jobs are spread over other sectors, with manufacturing
ranking second.

The NCHBA works on many fronts to strengthen housing.  On the code front it works to keep unnecessary regulation from driving builders out of business.  On the legislative front it encourages legislation that keeps housing affordable for the North Carolina citizens who form the backbone of our economy: the teachers, the policemen, the small business people. On the education front it works to keep its membership, the builders and remodelers of the state, at the forefront of the market by offering training opportunities for emerging trends, like green building, while teaching  them how to survive dramatic market fluctuations. On the communication front it draws the best minds in the state together to share and pass on the wisdom and experience that has kept the building industry strong in North Carolina for the past 50 years.

Let’s all work together to bring economic recovery and jobs back to North Carolina as we find solutions to the problems that are keeping housing from being strong.