US construction firms added jobs in 39 states between September 2013 and September 2014 while construction employment increased in 34 states and the District of Columbia between August and September, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the construction job gains come as more construction firms report having a hard time finding qualified workers to fill key positions.
"Construction firms in most states have been expanding during the past year," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "But as those firms expand, they have to work harder to attract their skilled craft workers and key construction professionals."
Association officials said the new employment figures show that the industry continues to add new workers after its years-long downturn. But they cautioned that more and more firms are reporting labor shortages. They added that the association will release the results of a new, nationwide, construction workforce survey tomorrow that measures the extent of worker shortages, their impact on firms' operations and some of the causes of the worker shortages.
"Hard as it is to imagine, given what this industry has been through the past few years, but many firms are very worried about their ability to find, recruit and retain qualified workers as the industry continues to rebound," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer.