The construction industry added 33,000 jobs in February from January, the single largest monthly gain in construction employment since March 2007.

While this is good news for the industry, construction officials cautioned that it was too early to tell whether the industry is improving or simply benefitting from the more favorable weather in February compared to the previous month, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

"Given what this industry has been through, figures like these are as welcome as they are long overdue," said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. "The question now is whether these figures reflect a thaw in economic conditions for the industry, or the benefits of warmer weather and less snow in many parts of the country in February."

Even with the large monthly gain, construction employment is still down by more than 2.2 million from the industry’s April 2006 peak, a nearly 30 percent decline, according to a statement. At that time, more than 7.7 million people worked in construction nationwide, while the industry now employs 5.5 million people.