Posts tagged Associated Builders and Contractors of New Jersey
Opinion: This is how NJ’s policies hurt our construction workforce
April 20, 2026 // The latest data from the Union Membership and Coverage Database tells a striking story: just 10.7% of New Jersey’s private construction workforce is unionized. That’s a dramatic decline from 15.6% in 2024, 12.2% in 2023, 20.7% in 2022, 26.9% in 2021 and 21.5% in 2020. In fact, in just a few years, union representation in private construction has been cut by more than half. That means nearly nine out of 10 construction workers in New Jersey are now non-union. And nearly 98% of minority-owned construction firms are non-union. Yet state policymakers continue to expand policies that favor union-only labor on public projects — creating a growing disconnect between who actually builds in New Jersey and who is allowed to compete for taxpayer-funded work.