Twenty-nine states added construction jobs in June as contractors continued to face worker shortages, according to Associated General Contractors of America. Thirty-five states added construction jobs during the past year.
“Construction employment continues to rise in a majority of states despite slowdowns in multifamily and commercial projects,” said Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. “But finding qualified workers to execute huge data center, manufacturing, energy and infrastructure projects is a challenge in many states.”
Texas added the most construction jobs from May to June—5,100—and Nevada had the largest percentage increase of construction jobs for the month—2.7%. During the past 12 months, Texas added the most construction jobs—36,100—and Alaska had the largest percentage increase—19.5%
New York lost the largest number of construction jobs (-4,400) for the month and Vermont had the largest percentage decline (-1.9%). During the past 12 months, New York lost the most construction jobs (-5,400) and Washington, D.C., had the largest percentage decline (-4.7%).
“Instead of continuing to encourage everyone to amass a lot of college debt, Congress has an opportunity to help get many more people into high-paying careers in fields like construction,” said AGC CEO Jeffrey D. Shoaf. “Boosting funding for programs that expose students to multiple career paths—including construction—will ease labor shortages that are undermining economic growth.”
