Residential construction picked up momentum in September and now is running at its highest level in four years, a turn that could have a positive effect on the jobs market and the broader U.S. economy.

Builders started work on new houses and apartments at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 872,000 units last month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, up 15% from August and 34.8% from September a year ago, far exceeding economists' expectations. The level of starts was the highest since July 2008.

Many economists contend that the rise in construction, if sustained, could boost job creation and economic growth. The National Association of Home Builders, a trade group, estimates that each home built generates three full-time jobs and $90,000 in new tax revenue.

"The path between here and when we get to a sustainable pace of home building, should add, cumulatively, up to two percentage points" to the nation's gross domestic product, said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. "It could take three or four years, but at the pace we're going at now, we might get there sooner rather than later."

The government report showed new building was up in three of four U.S. regions. Building rose 20.1% in the West, 19.9%......continue reading.