Construction companies added jobs in 40 states and the District of Columbia between May 2014 and May 2015 and in 28 states and D.C. between April and May, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America. AGC officials said the mix of states adding and losing construction jobs continues to vary amid fluctuations in demand.
“Construction has outpaced the overall economy in adding workers nationally but the mix of states with construction job gains keeps changing,” said Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist. “The top 10 states for job gains from April to May had previously lagged in adding construction workers, while energy-producing and other states that had record construction employment a few months ago have slipped.”
California added more new construction jobs (46,600 jobs, 6.9 percent) between May 2014 and May 2015 than any other state. Other pacesetters included Florida (28,200 jobs, 7.2 percent); Texas (20,300 jobs, 3.1 percent); Washington (18,100 jobs, 11.6 percent); and North Carolina (15,600 jobs, 8.8 percent). Idaho had the highest percentage of new jobs add with 11.8 percent (4,200 jobs), followed by Washington, Michigan (10.7 percent, 15,100 jobs) and North Carolina.
States losing construction jobs included West Virginia, which lost 12.3 percent; Mississippi (-7.2 percent); Rhode Island (-5.4 percent); Maine (-2.7 percent) and Ohio (-2.2 percent).
Simonson noted that the six states adding the highest percentage of construction workers in May were all in the Northeast, a region that had lagged behind the construction recovery recently.
"Although most states are adding construction workers, only five have exceeded pre-recession employment peaks, and all five slipped in May,” Simonson said. “This shows that the industry’s recovery remains vulnerable to a downturn in government investment in infrastructure as well as market forces.”
