Landscape Architect Articles

Construction Hiring Grows in Most States06-03-15 | News

Construction Hiring Grows in Most States

Between March and April, Texas lost the most construction jobs, 5400, followed by New York (-3,200), Florida (-2,300 jobs) and West Virginia (-1,600 jobs).

Forty states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between April of this year and last, and 30 states and D.C. posted more in April than in March.

Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, stated, "Construction employment grew faster than overall employment in most states in the latest 12 months, but the industry faces two challenges: a lack of experienced workers in many locations and a risk that funding for highway and transit projects will lapse in the next few months."

According to a recent analysis of Labor Department data by the association, California added more new construction jobs year over year than any other state, followed by Florida, Texas, Washington and Michigan. The highest percentage of new jobs was in Idaho. Washington, Michigan and New Jersey were next.

Seven states lost construction jobs during the past 12 months, and three states were unchanged. West Virginia lost the highest total and percent of construction jobs. Other states with high losses were Mississippi, Ohio, Nebraska and Rhode Island.

Between March and April, 18 states shed jobs, led by Texas. Employment was unchanged in Arizona and Utah. Pennsylvania added the most jobs month over month followed by Minnesota, Virginia and New Jersey.