Texas and Nevada Have Biggest Number and Percent of Annual Job Gains, Louisiana Has Largest Losses; Florida, Montana, Rhode Island & Vermont Experience Largest One-Month Gains as New York & Alaska Have Worst Declines
Forty-one states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between October 2018 and October 2019, while construction employment increased in 28 states from September to October, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials said that firm’s efforts to increase pay and benefits and do more in-house training appear to be helping them find people to hire despite tight labor conditions.
“Construction employment continues to experience robust growth in most parts of the country,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Many firms appear to be overcoming the challenge of low unemployment rates and strong demand for labor by increasing compensation levels and investing more in training people with relatively little experience in construction.”