Thirty-three states saw an uptick in construction jobs between July and August, according to Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) analysis.
When compared with August 2017, construction employment rose in 45 states, with only New Jersey, Kentucky and Missouri seeing declines, the fewest number of states with a decrease in construction jobs since May 2015, according to AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson.
“These results show that contractors still expect to have plenty of work in the months ahead,” Simonson said in a statement. “The question many in the industry are asking is whether they will be able to find enough workers to keep pace with demand.”
Texas added the highest number of construction jobs since August 2017, with 56,100 new positions, a 7.9 percent increase. It was followed by California (40,400 jobs, 10 percent) and Florida (39,300 jobs, 7.7 percent). New Hampshire had the highest percentage of construction job growth over the past year, increasing 11.3 percent with an additional 3,000 jobs.
New Jersey, Kentucky and Missouri declined by 4.2 percent (6,600), 3.4 percent (2,600) and 0.8 percent (1,000), respectively, since August 2017. Construction employment remained unchanged in Alaska and Pennsylvania over the past year.
California had the largest job growth since July, adding 5,200 jobs, a growth of 0.6 percent. North Dakota had the highest percentage of growth compared with July, jumping 2.6 percent with 700 jobs.
Fifteen states had declines in construction employment since July, with Pennsylvania losing the most at 1,900 (0.7 percent) and Kentucky losing the highest percentage of jobs at 1.8 percent (1,400).
