Construction employment increased in 268 of 358 metro areas between November 2021 and November 2022, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
Association officials said that many contractors report that demand for new projects is outpacing the availability of workers in many parts of the country.
“Contractors report they are passing on projects because they do not have enough people to do the work,” said Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist, in a statement. “Labor shortages are suppressing job gains in the construction industry in many parts of the country.”
Areas with highest construction job gains
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas: 18,500 jobs, up 9 percent
- Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas: 13,500 jobs, 9 percent
- Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington: 10,400 jobs, 10 percent
- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona: 9,400 jobs, 7 percent
Largest percentage gains in construction jobs
- Provo-Orem, Utah: 23 percent, 6,400 jobs
- Anchorage, Alaska: 15 percent, 1,400 jobs
- Kankakee, Illinois: 15 percent, 200 jobs
- Grants Pass, Oregon: 15 percent, 200 jobs
- Providence-Warwick, Rhode Island: 15 percent, 4,000 jobs
Areas with loss of construction jobs
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida: -8,500 jobs, -10 percent
- Richmond, Virginia: -3,300 jobs, -8 percent
- Camden, New Jersey: -1,700 jobs, -7 percent
- Austin-Round Rock, Texas: -1,400 jobs, -2 percent
Association officials said that demand for construction remained relatively strong in many parts of the country, buoyed by robust public construction and infrastructure investments and strength in certain types of private sector development. They cautioned, however, that contractors in parts of the country report they are not bidding on projects because they do not have enough personnel to perform the work.
Source: AGC
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Rod Sutton
Sutton has served as the editorial lead of Construction Equipment magazine and ConstructionEquipment.com since 2001.
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