Construction Employment Increases in 43 States Since 2018

May 20, 2019

Forty-three states added construction jobs between April 2018 and April 2019, while construction employment increased in 32 states from March to April, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

“Construction employment rose in most states over the past year, yet the record number of job openings at the end of March implies contractors would add even more workers if they could,” chief economist Ken Simonson said in a press release. “The count of states with rising construction employment in the latest month would be still higher if more workers were available.”

Texas added the most jobs over the year (32,500 jobs, 4.4 percent), followed by Florida (22,600 jobs, 4.2 percent), Arizona (19.800 jobs, 12.7 percent) and California (19,000 jobs, 2.2 percent). West Virginia added the highest percentage of construction jobs over 12 months (33.7 percent, 12,200 jobs), followed by Nevada (14.6 percent, 13,000 jobs). Employment reached a record high for Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas.

Seven states lost construction jobs over the past 12 months, with the largest job loss taking place in Louisiana (-8,400 jobs, -5.5 percent), followed by South Carolina (-3,600 jobs, -3.5 percent) and Mississippi (-1,800 jobs, -4.0 percent). Vermont had the steepest percentage decline in jobs over the 12-month span (-7.2 percent, -1,100 jobs).

Illinois added the most jobs between March and April (7,500 jobs, 3.3 percent), followed by Texas (5,800 jobs, 0.8 percent), and Missouri (3,400 jobs, 2.8 percent). Employment decreased from March to April in 15 states, and was unchanged in Alaska, South Dakota, and Vermont.

Source: AGC