Fixer-uppers drive up retail hiring

The nation’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in February, but there was one bright spot many economists weren’t expecting: an influx of retail jobs.

In all, retailers added 50,300 jobs in February — four times the number from the month before — even as the U.S. unemployment rate stayed steady at 4.1 percent.

One reason for the gains, economists said: Americans are increasingly renovating their homes instead of buying new ones, helping create thousands of retail jobs at companies like Home Depot and Lowe’s.

Building-material stores hired more than 10,000 workers in February to keep up with booming demand, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those positions accounted for more than one-fifth of the total retail jobs added last month.

The gains are part of a larger trend. Building-material and garden supply stores have added roughly 49,000 jobs in the past year.

“This is a housing repair and remodeling story — and not just because of the recent hurricanes and fires,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at professional-services firm Grant Thornton. “In many cases, people are realizing it’s cheaper and easier to add on to their homes than to buy new ones.”

Low housing supply and high costs, particularly in larger cities, are prompting prospective buyers to think twice before buying a house, Swonk said. Other factors, such as rising interest rates and changes to mortgage-related tax credits, are also contributing to their decisions.

“Add to that the housing stock is older and more decrepit than it used to be, and you’re seeing a boom in remodeling,” Swonk said, adding that she is in the process of replacing the roof on her Chicago-area home.

Homeowners are projected to spend $340 billion on home improvements and repairs this year, up 8 percent from last year, marking the highest increase since before the Great Recession, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Increased demand is also helping create new jobs, albeit low-wage posi-