Thirty-nine US states added construction jobs between January 2016 and January 2017 while 38 states and D.C. added construction jobs between December and January, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Association officials said that many firms report they are having a hard time finding enough qualified workers to hire as they work to keep pace with growing demand.
“Even as firms continue to find ways to expand their headcount, they are increasingly concerned about the lack of available, qualified workers,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the association. “There is only so much firms can do to attract the limited number of qualified workers before labor shortages begin to impact their operations.”
Florida added the most construction jobs (36,400 jobs, 7.9 percent) during the past year. Oregon (10,000 jobs, 11.5 percent) added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year. Mississippi lost the highest number of construction jobs (-2,200 jobs, -4.8 percent) during the past year. Alaska (-1,700 jobs, -10.1 percent) lost the highest percentage for the year.
Florida (10,700 jobs, 2.2 percent) added the most construction jobs between December and January. Louisiana (7,600 jobs, 5.3 percent) added the highest percentage of construction jobs during the past month. California shed more construction jobs than any other state (-6,900 jobs, -0.9 percent) during the period. Nebraska (-1,200 jobs, -2.3 percent) lost the highest percentage of construction jobs between December and January.