flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

Construction employment rises in 38 states and D.C. from March 2017 to March 2018

Contractors

Construction employment rises in 38 states and D.C. from March 2017 to March 2018

California and West Virginia have biggest job gains for the year, North Dakota has largest decline; Texas and Alaska have largest monthly pickup, New York and Hawaii have largest monthly drops. 


By AGC of America | April 20, 2018

Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between March 2017 and March 2018, while 29 states added construction jobs between February and March, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today.  Association officials said the job gains are coming amid strong private-sector demand and new public-sector investments in school and airport construction.

"Construction employment continues to expand in most parts of the country as private-sector demand remains strong and limited, new public investments in infrastructure are beginning to have an impact," said chief economist Ken Simonson. "The two greatest risks to future construction job growth are a lack of available, qualified workers and the potential impacts of new tariffs being imposed by and on the United States."

California added the most construction jobs (54,400 jobs, 6.8%) during the past year.  Other states adding a large number of new construction jobs for the past 12 months include Texas (34,000 jobs, 4.8%); Florida (31,600 jobs, 6.3%); Pennsylvania (13,600 jobs, 5.6%) and Michigan (12,100 jobs, 7.5%).  West Virginia (11.2%, 3,400 jobs) added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by Nevada (9.0%, 7,500 jobs); Idaho (8.6%, 3,800 jobs); Massachusetts (7.7%, 11,500 jobs) and New Mexico (7.6%, 3,400 jobs).

Twelve states shed construction jobs between March 2017 and March 2018.  North Dakota lost the highest total and percentage of construction jobs (-4,300 jobs, -14.8 percent), followed by Iowa (-3,900 jobs, -5.0 percent); Kansas (-2,500 jobs, -4.1%); Nebraska (-2,000 jobs, -3.8%) and New Jersey (-1,800 jobs, -1.2%).  In addition to North Dakota, other states that lost a high percentage of construction jobs for the month included Iowa; Kansas; Nebraska and Hawaii (-2.4%, -900 jobs).

Twenty-nine states added construction jobs between February and March.  Texas added the most (3,800 jobs, 0.5%), followed by Wisconsin (2,300 jobs, 1.9%); Florida (2,200 jobs, 0.4%); Michigan (1,600 jobs, 0.9%) and Missouri (1,400 jobs, 1.2%).  Alaska added the highest percentage of construction jobs for the month (2.6%, 400 jobs), followed by Wisconsin; Iowa (1.8%, 1,300 jobs); Kentucky (1.3%, 1,000 jobs) and Missouri.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia lost construction jobs between February and March, while construction employment was unchanged in Vermont and Wyoming.  New York lost the most construction jobs for the month (-5,200 jobs, -1.3%), followed by California (-4,400 jobs, -0.5%); New Jersey (-1,400 jobs, -0.9%); Arizona (-1,200 jobs, -0.8%) and Minnesota (-1,000 jobs, -0.8%).  Rhode Island lost the highest percentage of construction jobs (-2.6%, -500 jobs), followed by Hawaii (-1.9%, -700 jobs); West Virginia (-1.7%, -600 jobs); South Dakota (-1.7%, -400 jobs) and New York.

Association officials said the widespread job gains were welcome news, but cautioned that new tariffs announced by the Trump administration and counter measures from other trading partners could undermine demand for construction of shipping, logistics and manufacturing facilities. "There are better ways to address trade imbalances than by undermining domestic economic growth," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer. 

View the state employment data by rank and state.  View the state employment map.

Related Stories

| Aug 11, 2010

AGC: Construction unemployment reaches 19.2%

Unemployment in the construction sector climbed to a “horrendous” 19.2 percent (not-seasonally adjusted) as an additional 59,000 construction workers lost their jobs in May according to new federal data, said construction economist Ken Simonson today.

| Aug 11, 2010

Prism-shaped design unveiled for five-star hotel in Saudi Arabia

Goettsch Partners has been commissioned by Saudi Oger Ltd. to design a new five-star, 214-key business hotel in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As a design-build assignment, Saudi Oger is serving as the contractor, selected by developer Rayadah Investment Company. The project is sited on Parcel 1.08, one of the first 10 parcels currently under development in the massive new master-planned district.

| Aug 11, 2010

USGBC’s Greenbuild 2009 brings global ideas to local main streets

Save the planet with indigenous knowledge. Make permanent water part of your life. Dive deep water for clues to environmental success.  Connect site selection to successful creative concepting. Explore the unknown with Discovery Channel’s best known guide. These are but a few of the big ideas participants can connect to at USGBC’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, taking place on November 11-13, 2009 in Phoenix, Ariz.

| Aug 11, 2010

Urban Land Institute honors five 'outstanding' developments in Europe, Middle East, and Africa

Five outstanding developments have been selected as winners of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) 2009 Awards for Excellence: Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) competition. This year, the competition also included the announcement of two special award winners. The Awards for Excellence competition is widely regarded as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program.

| Aug 11, 2010

A glimmer of hope amid grim news as construction employment falls in most states, metro areas

The construction employment picture brightened slightly with 18 states adding construction jobs from April to May according to a new analysis of data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  However, construction employment overall continued to decline, noted Ken Simonson, the chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021