Construction Jobs Increase in 72% of Metros Year-Over-Year

Construction employment increased in 258 out of 358—or 72.0%—of metro areas between September 2020 and September 2021, the Associated General Contractors of America reported.

Construction employment declined in 67 (18.7%) metros areas during the month and remained unchanged in 33 metros (9.2%).

“Many metro areas are having a hard time getting back to construction employment levels from last fall that were already low because of the pandemic,” stated Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. AGC cited continuing supply chain disruptions and a lack of infrastructure investments as leading causes for the recorded construction employment declines.

The largest increase of construction jobs over the past 12 months was recorded in the Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, Calif., area, which added 9,000 construction jobs, a 13% bump for the metro. The Nassau County–Suffolk County, N.Y., area shed the most construction jobs year-over-year, losing 6,000, an 8% decline for the metro.

The full AGC report can be found here.