In July, 36 states lagged behind in construction employment compared with February 2020, the last month before the COVID-19 pandemic shook the industry.
“This data shows that full recovery remains elusive for construction in most states,” stated Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, which reported the construction employment data. “In fact, the fast-spreading COVID-19 delta variant may make it harder to find employees eligible to work on restricted sites and may also depress demand if some owners defer projects.”
From June to July, construction employment increased in 30 states and declined in 18, with Kansas, Tennessee and D.C. remaining unchanged.
Compared with February 2020, construction employment in July increased in only 14 states and was flat in D.C. Texas shed the most construction jobs since the pandemic, losing 56,200. Utah added the most construction jobs since the pandemic with 7,900.
The full AGC report can be found here.
