Thirty-five states and Washington, D.C., added construction jobs from February 2017 to February 2018, and 38 states added construction jobs from January to February, according to www.agc.org.
"The construction industry continues to add employees in most of the nation, despite a shortage of workers with construction experience," says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). "But job openings are growing as contractors encounter a shrinking pool of experienced jobseekers."
California added the most construction jobs—74,000—between February 2017 and February 2018. Florida and Texas also added a large number of construction jobs. Additionally, West Virginia added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by Nevada, California, Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico.
Thirty-eight states added construction jobs from January to February, with New York adding the most construction jobs—7,700—followed by Florida and California. Connecticut added the highest percentage of construction jobs for the month, followed by Mississippi, Indiana and New York.
Fourteen states lost construction jobs between February 2017 and February 2018. Iowa lost the highest number of construction jobs—6,700—followed by North Dakota, Missouri and Kansas. Construction employment fell in 11 states from January to February, and Washington lost more than any other state—1,500.
AGC officials said the widespread job gains show construction offers good career opportunities and public agencies at all levels of government should do more to improve the career and technical education pipeline. They praised the funding increases passed by Congress March 22 for programs to help students and underemployed adults gain the skills needed for jobs in construction.
"Rebuilding career and technical education programs is essential for helping the economy expand and assure a supply of qualified construction workers," says Stephen E. Sandherr, AGC's CEO. "The funding bill that Congress approved on Thursday is a good step in that direction."
