Less Than Half the States Added Construction Jobs in July 2016

Texas add the most construction jobs for the month followed by Pennsylvania, Florida, Tennessee and Colorado; Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Illinois and Louisiana lost the most jobs in July

Associated General Contractors of America
Iowa added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by Hawaii, Idaho and Colorado.
Iowa added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by Hawaii, Idaho and Colorado.

Thirty-nine state added construction jobs between July 2015 and July 2016 while construction employment only increased in 23 states and the District of Columbia between June and July, according to an Associated General Contractors of America analysis of Labor Department data. Association officials said construction employment likely declined in many states as firms have growing difficulty locating qualified workers to hire.

“Depending on market segment and geography, many firms report they are having a hard time finding enough workers to keep pace with demand,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, chief executive officer for the association.  “While there is slack in key segments like infrastructure and parts of the country that are struggling economically, many of these declines likely have more to do with firms not being able to find workers than not being able to find work.”

Texas added the most construction jobs between June and July (7,800 jobs, 1.1%). Other states adding a high number of construction jobs for the month include:

  • Pennsylvania (3,900 jobs, 1.7%)
  • Florida (3,100 jobs, 0.7%)
  • Tennessee (2,600 jobs, 2.1%)
  • Colorado (2,600 jobs, 1.6%)
Idaho added the highest percentage of construction jobs during the past month (4.6%, 1,900 jobs), followed by:
  • New Hampshire (2.8%, 700 jobs)
  • Arkansas (2.3%, 1,100 jobs)
  • Mississippi (2.2%, 1,000 jobs)

Construction employment declined in 27 states during the past month and held steady in Alaska. Ohio shed more construction jobs than any other state (-3,600 jobs, -1.7%), followed by:

  • New Jersey (-3,200 jobs, -2.1%)
  • New York (-2,800 jobs, -0.8%)
  • Illinois (-2,700 jobs, -1.2%)
  • Louisiana (-2,100 jobs, -1.5%)
Delaware lost the highest percentage of construction jobs between June and July (-2.3%, -500 jobs), followed by:
  • New Jersey (-2.1%, -3,200 jobs)
  • Kentucky (-2.0%, -1,500 jobs)
  • Wyoming (-1.9%, -400 jobs)

California added the most construction jobs (29,100 jobs, 4%) over the last year between July 2015 and July 2016. Other states adding a high number of new construction jobs for the past 12 months include:

  • Florida (26,400 jobs, 6.1%)
  • Colorado (16,100 jobs, 10.9%)  
  • Iowa (12,800 jobs, 16.5%)
Iowa added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by:
  • Hawaii (12.9%, 4,500 jobs)
  • Idaho (12.6%, 4,800 jobs)
  • Colorado (10.9%, 16,100 jobs) 

Kansas lost the highest number of construction jobs (-4,400 jobs, -7.3%) for the year. Other states that lost jobs for the year include:

  • North Dakota (-2,900 jobs, -8.5%)
  • Alabama (-2,400 jobs, -3%)
  • Kentucky (-2,300 jobs, -3%)
  • Wyoming (-1,700 jobs, -7.5%)
  • Maine (-1,500 jobs, -5.7%)
Construction employment was unchanged for the year in the District of Columbia.

Association officials said construction firms that work on infrastructure projects or in parts of the country where the economy is not growing are still struggling to find work to keep their teams busy. They added, however, that firms working in fields like private commercial development in states where the economy remains robust continue to worry about having finding qualified workers.  

“What is clear from the data is there is not one single labor market for the construction industry,” Stephen E. Sandherr said. “Where demand is strong, labor is tight and where demand is weak, labor conditions are better.”

View the state employment data by rank and state. View the state employment map.

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