Construction employment decreased in 57% of metro areas (203) year-over-year in March, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.
AGC said rising materials prices and supply chain disruptions are hampering the industry’s recovery.
“Nearly twice as many metros have lost construction jobs as gained them in the past 12 months, even though homebuilding has recovered strongly and the overall economy is in much better shape than it was a year ago,” AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson said in a statement. “Nonresidential construction is still at risk of further declines in much of the country.”
Only 104 of the 358 metro areas added construction jobs year-over-year, according to AGC. Construction employment remained unchanged in 51 metro areas over the year.
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas, areas lost the largest number of construction jobs over the 12-month period (-31,000 jobs, -13 percent), according to AGC. The Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash., areas added the most construction jobs over 12 months (5,300 jobs, 5 percent).
The full AGC report can be found here.
