Thirty-nine states and Washington, D.C., added construction jobs from September 2018 to September 2019, and 28 states added construction jobs from August to September, according to www.agc.org.
“Although evidence is mounting that the overall economy is slowing, contractors in most states are still eager to hire,” says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. “But they are unable to find qualified workers in some cases, and job openings in construction have soared as unemployment rates are at historic lows in many states.”
Texas added the most construction jobs—52,000—between September 2018 and September 2019. California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada also added a large number of construction jobs. Additionally, Nevada added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by Arizona, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Texas and Indiana.
Texas added the most construction jobs from August to September—7,200—followed by Arizona, Indiana, Wisconsin, Nevada and Florida. Hawaii added the highest percentage of construction jobs for the month.
Eleven states lost construction jobs between September 2018 and September 2019. Louisiana lost the highest number of construction jobs—10,600—followed by Ohio, Connecticut, Tennessee, Massachusetts and North Carolina. Construction employment fell in 22 states from August to September, and Virginia lost more than any other state—3,200.
