Thirty-five states and Washington, D.C., added construction jobs between September 2016–2017, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data.
"Contractors in most states still report they are busy and expect to stay that way for the foreseeable future," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the association, in a statement. "These reports suggest employment would be rising in more states if contractors could find enough qualified workers."
The most construction jobs added were in California, 44,600 jobs; Louisiana, 14,700 jobs; Texas, 14,300 jobs; Oregon, 13,500 jobs and Florida, 12,700 jobs.
Fourteen states lost construction jobs between September 2016–2017. Iowa lost the largest number, down 6,600, followed by Michigan, down 6,400; Georgia, down 6,200; and Illinois, down 5,800.
