Construction employment increased in 211 US metro areas between November 2015 and November 2016, the lowest number of metro areas to add jobs in four years, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo. (9,600 jobs, 10 percent) and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. (9,600 jobs, 15 percent) added the most construction jobs during the past year. The largest percentage gain occurred in Boise City, Idaho (21 percent, 3,900 jobs).
Construction employment declined in 86 metro areas and held steady in another 61 during the past 12 months. The largest job loss from November 2015 to November 2016 was in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (-12,700 jobs, -6 percent). The largest percentage decline for the past year was in Casper, Wyo. (-15 percent, -500 jobs).
Association officials said construction gains appear to be limited in many parts of the country by labor shortages. They urged the incoming Trump administration to include new workforce measures as part of their expected plan to improve aging infrastructure. Such measures should include boosting funding for the federal Perkins Act that finances high school level career and technical education programs, encouraging school officials to set provide construction-focused programs and making it easier for open-shop construction firms to set up apprenticeship training programs.
“Considering that spending levels remain relatively robust for most market segments, firms in many parts of the country are likely having a hard time finding enough workers to hire,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “It appears that the industry would be employing more people if it could only find enough qualified people to hire.”