Construction Employment Falls in 63% of Metro Areas in January

Construction employment declined in 225—or 63%—of metro areas year-over-year in January, according to analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Construction employment remained unchanged in 41 metro areas, while 92 metro areas—26%—added construction jobs.

“More contractors are telling us they are cutting headcount than adding workers, which is consistent with the new data showing the industry is shrinking in many parts of the country,” stated Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. “More than three-fourth of the firms said projects had been postponed or canceled, while only one out of five reported winning new work or an add-on to an existing project in the previous two months as a result of the pandemic. That imbalance makes further job losses likely in many metros.”

The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas, area lost the largest number of construction jobs over the year, with a loss of 32,900 jobs. The Sacramento-Roseville, Arden-Arcade, Calif., area added the most, with 3,100 jobs.

The full AGC report can be found here.