construction hiring sees slowdown

For this first time in 2018, less than half of the states saw new construction hiring, even as the demand for new construction workers nationally remains high.

Those numbers, said Association of General Contractors economist Ken Simonson in a statement, may indicate that “contactors are unable to find qualified workers, rather than a slacking in demand for construction.”

Overall, according to Department of Labor statistics analyzed by the Washington-based Association of General Contractors, 23 states added new construction jobs between October and November of this year.

During this same time period, construction job openings totaled around 292,000, an increase of 25 percent from October of 2017, and the highest such number since the Labor Department began surveying on this subject in 2000.

States with the greatest amount of new construction hiring in the last year include Arizona, with 18,500 new jobs.

In the category of one-month gains between October and November of this year, Texas added 2,700 new jobs, followed by Pennsylvania at 1,900; and Arizona, again, with 1,900 new jobs.

The AGC statistics also showed that New Mexico’s construction employment grew from 47,100 in November of last year to 50,000 this November.

At the same time, new construction jobs in Colorado went from 167,200 to 169,500; with Texas seeing a jump from 727,100 to 774,200.

The latest numbers show the West as the region with the most construction job growth: of the top ten states adding employment, five were in the West, while the remaining states were divided between the East, Mid-West, and South.

By Garry Boulard

---