Construction employment increased in 211 (59%) of the 358 metro areas between December 2018 and December 2019, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
Construction employment declined in 73 (20%) metro areas and remained unchanged in 74 (20.6%) metro areas. A shortage of qualified workers likely undermined the employment gains, AGC said.
“Construction workforce shortages appear to be holding back further job gains in many parts of the country,” AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson said in a statement.
The Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas, metro area added the most construction jobs in 2019, with 16,700 jobs, an increase of 11%. New York City reported the largest number of job losses during the year, reporting a loss of 4,500 jobs, a 3% decline.
The full AGC report can be found here.
