After four tough years, construction has had a positive 2011.

After four years of negative job growth, the construction sector is experiencing positive gains in 2011, adding approximately 26,000 jobs to payrolls in 2011, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor statistics.

In addition, residential investment has positively contributed to GDP for the first time since 2005.

Though the economy has shed 2.2 million construction jobs since 2006, the jobs report does echo similarly positive data from the Congressional Budget Office, which predicted that residential construction would increase in 2012.