Construction employment expanded in 192 metro areas, declined in 84 and was stagnant in 63 between December 2012 and December 2013, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released Wednesday by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that even with so many metro areas adding jobs for the year, only 20 metro areas topped previous construction employment peaks for the month.
"Growing demand for apartment and single-family construction was behind a lot of the growth in most metro areas last year," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist, noting that private residential construction spending soared by 18 percent from December 2012 to December 2013, while public sector spending slipped by 1 percent. "Employment in December 2013 was held down in many areas by unusually snowy or cold weather. With the weather and the economy both likely to improve soon, even more metros should post employment gains in the coming months."
Association officials urged Congress to act quickly to finalize water resources legislation that sets funding for port and waterways improvements. They noted that versions of the legislation have passed both houses of Congress and just need to be finalized and sent to the President. And they also urged Washington officials to pass a new six-year surface transportation bill before the current measure expires at the end of September.
"Congress has a real opportunity to help boost construction employment in many metro areas this year, and get aging infrastructure repaired at the same time," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer.