Construction employment increased in 42 states in April from a year earlier, while only 24 states added construction jobs from March to April, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials said the monthly figures likely reflect the impact of low unemployment rates and workforce shortages as opposed to a dropoff in recent amounts of construction activity.
"Contractors continue to report strong demand for projects and have added employees in all but a handful of states over the past year," said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. "The fact that employment dipped in April in half the states may reflect an inability to find qualified workers at a time of record-low construction unemployment, not a slowdown in demand."
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