Outlook for unemployed construction workers improved today with the Senate’s passage of a stimulus bill, but the deletion of the education construction funding from the Senate version of the legislation could mean the number of jobs created or saved by this bill will decline by over 300,000, according to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
"The nearly one million construction workers who have lost their jobs across the country have a renewed chance of success with today’s passage of Senate stimulus legislation," says AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr. "The construction investments in this legislation will help save or create hundreds of thousands of jobs and give tens of thousands of companies an opportunity to survive these tough economic conditions while building a strong foundation for future economic growth."
Sandherr warned, however, that "there is still more work to be done. Over the coming days the 33,000 member companies of the Associated General Contractors of America and their employees will be working with the members of Congress and the Administration to ensure restoration of $24 billion in needed school and construction spending cut from the Senate version of the legislation.
"Our analysis shows that without these funds the total number of jobs that would be created or saved by this bill will decline by over 340,000. Countless children and thousands of laid off workers are counting on Congress to restore this funding before final passage of this essential economic legislation," said Sandherr.
