Thirty-seven states and Washington, D.C., added new construction jobs in December 2020, but construction employment is down in 34 states since February 2020, according to www.agc.org.

“While most states recorded construction employment gains in December, the pickup is likely to be temporary for many,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. “Participants in our association’s recent Hiring and Business Outlook Survey expect the dollar volume of most project types available to bid on to decline in 2021.”

California added the most construction jobs from November 2020 to December 2020—31,600—and New Hampshire had the largest percentage increase of construction jobs for the month—4%. Arizona lost the largest number of construction jobs (-4,100) and Delaware lost the highest percentage of construction jobs (-3.2%) for the month.

Only 15 states and Washington, D.C., added construction jobs from February 2020 to December 2020. Virginia added the most—10,800—and Alabama had the largest percentage increase during that period—5.7%. Texas lost the most construction jobs from February 2020 to December 2020 (-35,600 jobs), and Vermont had the largest percentage decline (-23.1%).

“Contractors are eager to save as many jobs as possible during the next several months on the expectation demand will return once the coronavirus comes under control,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, AGC’s CEO. “Washington officials can help save countless construction careers by acting now to stabilize demand.”
Tags: Workforce | Trends

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