colorado and new mexico post early summer construction job gains; arizona sees decline

Despite the negative impact Covid-19 is having on the nation’s economy, both Colorado and New Mexico added new construction jobs between May and June of this year.

Those new jobs represent a few of the small examples of job increases in a national construction picture seeing more job losses than gains between the early summer of 2019 and May and June of this year, according to a new report just issued by the Associated General Contractors of America.

The report shows that 225 out of 358 metro areas across the country lost construction jobs between the late spring of 2019 and May and June of this year.

In a statement, Ken Simonson, chief economist with the AGC, said it was “troubling to see construction employment lagging year-ago levels in most locations.”

While May to June construction job increases were posted in localities across the country, “those gains were not enough to erase the huge losses in March and April.” 

The economist added that a variety of indicators since the employment data was collected in mid-June suggests that “construction employment will soon decline, or stagnate at best, in much of the country.”

Colorado posted one of the most impressive May to June job gains with an overall construction job increase of 3 percent.

All seven of the metro areas surveyed in Colorado saw gains of anywhere from 1 to 6 percent, with the Pueblo area posting the largest gain.

The Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe areas were surveyed for New Mexico’s numbers, with an overall 2 percent increase.

The largest gain was in metro Albuquerque, up by 4 percent, while both Las Cruces and Santa Fe experienced 3 percent gains.

Arizona saw an overall 1 percent decline in construction jobs, ranging from a drop in that same percentage in the big Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale metro area, and a 4 percent decline in Yuma.

But the picture wasn’t all gloomy in the Grand Canyon State, as Prescott enjoyed a 5 percent increase, and Tucson was up by 1 percent.

El Paso also saw a 1 percent increase, in line with an overall Texas state increase of the same percentage.
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Metro areas nationally recording the most significant construction job gains from May to June include Monroe, Michigan, with a 31 percent increase; New York City, up by 22 percent; and Fairbanks, Alaska, with an 11 percent gain.

By Garry Boulard

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