ARLINGTON, VA. – Construction employment rose in 232, or 65 per cent, of 358 metro areas between July 2023 and July 2024, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data.
Association officials noted that their latest workforce survey shows contractors are still eager to hire more employees but face difficulty finding qualified workers.
“It is heartening that nearly two-thirds of metro areas have added construction workers in the past year,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But contractors’ struggles to fill open positions suggest many more metros would have job gains if there were enough qualified applicants available.”
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Tex. added the most construction jobs (11,700 jobs or five per cent) between July 2023 and July 2024, followed by Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev. (9,700 jobs, 12 per cent); Baton Rouge, La. (7,400 jobs, 16 percent); Northern Virginia (7,200 jobs, nine per cent); and Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. (6,400 jobs, 11 per cent).
The largest percentage gain, 19 per cent, occurred in Anchorage, Alas., which added 2,400 jobs. The pickup in Anchorage was followed by 17 per cent gains in Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, Ala. (200 jobs) and Danville, Ill. (100 jobs).
Construction employment declined over the year in 74 metro areas and was unchanged in 52 areas. The largest job loss occurred in New York City (minus 9,100 jobs, down six per cent), followed by Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo. (down 4,700 jobs, four per cent); Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis. (minus 4,200 jobs, four cent); and Orange-Rockland-Westchester, N.Y. (down 3,100 jobs, six per cent).
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