Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C., added construction jobs from December 2018 to December 2019, and 29 states added construction jobs from November 2019 to December 2019, according to www.agc.org.
“Construction employment consistently expanded in at least two-thirds of the states throughout 2019, even though contractors reported difficulty in finding qualified workers all year long,” says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. “As long as they are able to continue finding qualified workers, most firms expect to continue hiring this year.”
Texas added the most construction jobs—55,900—between December 2018 and December 2019. California and Florida also added a large number of construction jobs. Additionally, Maine added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by New Mexico and Utah.
Texas added the most construction jobs from November 2019 to December 2019—3,800—followed by Ohio, Florida, Arizona and Iowa. Iowa added the highest percentage of construction jobs for the month, followed by North Dakota and Ohio.
Sixteen states lost construction jobs between December 2018 and December 2019. Ohio lost the highest number of construction jobs—9,000—followed by Louisiana and Minnesota. Construction employment fell in 16 states and Washington, D.C., from November 2019 to December 2019, and Nevada lost more than any other state—2,700.
