Career Trends: Construction and Building Inspectors

Construction and building inspectors ensure that construction meets local and national building codes and ordinances, zoning regulations, and contract specifications.

Construction and building inspectors spend considerable time inspecting worksites, alone or as part of a team. Some inspectors may have to climb ladders or crawl in tight spaces. Most work full time during regular business hours.

Most employers require construction and building inspectors to have at least a high school diploma and considerable knowledge of construction trades. Inspectors typically learn on the job. Many states and local jurisdictions require some type of license or certification.

Employment of construction and building inspectors is projected to grow 8 percent from 2014 to 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Public interest in safety and desire to improve the quality of construction should continue to create demand for inspectors. Certified construction and building inspectors who can perform a variety of inspections should have the best job opportunities.

This occupation supported 102,300 jobs in 2012 and 101,200 jobs in 2014, reflecting a decline of 1.1%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 12.2% in 2022 to 114,800 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 104,800, compared with an observed value of 101,200, 3.4% lower than expected. This indicates current employment trends are worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 7.8% in 2024 to 109,200 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 117,300 jobs for 2024, 7.4% higher than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation.