According to a report Friday from the Associated General Contractors of America, US construction employment expanded in 37 states and the District of Columbia between July 2014 and July 2015 while only 28 states and D.C. added jobs between June and July. Association officials noted that the construction industry appears caught between divergent economic trends that help employment in some areas and hurt it in others.
“Construction continues to grow overall but fewer states are participating in the expansion than was true a year ago,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “The uneven growth reflects the cross-cutting trends in the overall economy, as tight government budgets, plunging commodity prices and weak overseas demand lead to project cancellations in some states even while activity accelerates elsewhere.”
Association officials said that contractors in parts of the country where construction demand is growing report growing shortages of qualified workers to fill available positions. They said that as demand for construction continues to grow, those shortages will only get more severe. That is why they urged federal, state and local officials to act on the measures outlined in the association’s Workforce Development Plan.
“Education officials need to include high-paying jobs in construction among the career choices they encourage and help prepare students to pursue,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer.