Construction workers across America have suffered staggering job losses in recent weeks as the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and in many cases shut down, construction sites around the US. 

A recent report from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nearly one million construction workers across the country were laid off during the month of April. 

The report states, "Construction employment fell by 975,000 in April, with much of the loss in specialty trade contractors (-691,000). Job losses also occurred in construction of buildings (-206,000)."

This news comes as the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) publishes a new report, Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment, finding that "26% of construction industry professionals thought about taking their own lives in 2019 – before the COVID-19 pandemic had hit the industry – and 97% recorded being stressed at least once in the last year." 

The report, part of a new mental health initiative launched by new CIOB President  Charles Egbu also finds that "Job insecurity, long hours, time away from families, lack of support from HR and late payments all contributed to the ‘silent crisis'" that is rocking the field. 

Additionally, the report indicates that 56% of construction professionals work for companies that have "no policies on mental health in the workplace" and that a litany of other construction site issues, including access to running water and bathrooms, plague the industry's most vulnerable workers. 

Construction, of course, remains one of the more dangerous jobs in the United States, especially within the building industry.