Construction employment increased in 41 states and Washington, D.C., between October 2018 and October 2019, according to an analysis of government data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). The 12-month increase continues a healthy pattern of strong year-over-year (YOY) employment growth from recent data reports by the AGC. Thirty-nine states and D.C. added construction jobs in the 12-month periods after September 2018 and August 2018, and 40 states added construction jobs between July 2018 and July 2019.
The AGC also reported construction employment increased in 28 states between September and October, consistent with recent month-to-month employment changes found by the AGC. For the past three months, fewer than 30 states added construction jobs on a month-to-month basis.
“Construction employment continues to experience robust growth in most parts of the country,” said AGC chief economist Ken Simonson. “Many firms appear to be overcoming the challenge of low unemployment rates and strong demand for labor by increasing compensation levels and investing more in training people with relatively little experience in construction.”
In the 12-month period after October 2018, Texas, California, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada added the most construction jobs in pure numbers, while Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, New Hampshire, and Arkansas experienced the largest percentage increase in construction jobs. Construction employment reached record highs in Nebraska, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Louisiana lost the largest number and the steepest percentage of construction jobs on a YOY basis.
On a month-to-month basis, Florida, California, and Nevada added the most construction jobs in pure numbers, while Montana, Rhode Island, and Vermont added the highest percentage of construction jobs for the month. New York lost the largest number of construction jobs between September and October, while Alaska experienced the largest percentage decline in construction jobs during the month.
