U.S. employers added 236,000 jobs in February, including 48,000 construction jobs, reflecting the upswing in the housing market. As MHProNews has learned from CNNMoney, the unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent, its lowest level since 2008. In the last five months builders have added 151,000 construction jobs, the highest number in seven years. Home prices, sales and building permits are up, foreclosures and interest rates are down, and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) says residential construction employment will be five times the rate in 2012. Still, the industry remains one million workers short of the levels seen in 2003. Meanwhile, the real estate industry added 13,400 employees in the last three months.

(Photo credit: National Association of Manufacturers)