According to the Instituto de Estadística y Registro de la Industria de la Construcción (IERIC, Argentina's construction statistics and registry institute), formal employment in the construction sector fell for a second consecutive month in May 2026, following weaker momentum after a stronger start to the year. Registered jobs totalled 355.962, a monthly drop of 0,8%, equivalent to 2.792 fewer positions, and stood 0,1% below the May 2025 level. The decline stands out against the sector's usual seasonal pattern, since employment has posted an average monthly gain of 0,6% in May every year since 2011, according to IERIC.
The May contraction followed a 1,4% monthly fall in April, when the sector had counted 357.679 registered jobs, a loss of 4.903 positions versus March, though still up 0,6% year on year. Despite the two consecutive monthly declines, the cumulative count for the first five months of 2026 remains 1,1% higher than the same period of 2025, according to IERIC. The lead indicator EMERC (Estimador Mensual de Empleo Registrado en la Construcción, the institute's early monthly estimator of registered construction employment), which tracks payroll changes among a fixed panel of construction firms, now points to a further 0,4% monthly contraction for June 2026.
Regional data for May show uneven performance across the country. The NEA region was the only one to post a positive monthly change, up 0,2%, while Patagonia remained close to stable at 0,1%. All other regions declined, led by Cuyo, which fell 2,4%. Of the 25 jurisdictions surveyed, 12 increased employment versus April and 13 recorded declines. Among the larger jurisdictions, Córdoba (1,1%) and the City of Buenos Aires (0,2%) posted monthly gains, while Buenos Aires Province (-1,6%), Greater Buenos Aires (-1,5%) and Santa Fe (-1,2%) contracted.
On the employer side, IERIC data for June 2026 show the number of active construction firms up 0,6% year on year, and 0,9% above the June 2024 level. Larger jurisdictions expanded faster, at 0,8% year on year, than the remaining jurisdictions, at 0,3%. Territorially, 13 jurisdictions counted more employers than in June 2025, while 11 registered a decline, with Córdoba standing out among the larger jurisdictions at 5,3% year-on-year growth.