Thirty-nine states lost construction jobs between August 2019 and August 2020 while 31 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between July and August according to a new analysis of Labor Department data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The new annual figures detail how the coronavirus pandemic has undermined demand for construction projects after a strong start to the year.
“The ongoing pandemic is prompting ever more private owners, developers, and public agencies to delay and cancel projects,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, citing the association’s mid-June survey and a more recent survey it produced in August. “The share of contractors that reported postponed or canceled projects nearly doubled while the share who reported winning new or expanded work dropped nearly in half.”
California lost the most construction jobs (-52,000, -5.8%) between August 2019 and August 2020, followed by New York (-46,000, -11.3%); Texas (-39,300 jobs, -5.0%); Massachusetts (-20,200 jobs, -12.4%) and Illinois (-17,200 jobs, -7.5%). Vermont lost the highest percent of construction jobs for the year (-29.6%, -4,500 jobs), followed by Massachusetts; Iowa (-11.8%, -9,300 jobs); Louisiana (-11.4%, -15,700 jobs) and New York.
Ten states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between August 2019 and August 2020 while construction employment was unchanged in Montana. Utah added the most new construction jobs (8,800 jobs, 8.0%), followed by Virginia (4,400 jobs, 2.2%); Maryland (3,800 jobs, 2.3%); Indiana (3,100 jobs, 2.1%) and Missouri (2,700 jobs, 2.1%). South Dakota added the highest percent (10.9%, 2,600 jobs), followed by Utah; Idaho (2.4%, 1,300 jobs); Maryland and Virginia.
California added the most new construction jobs (6,700 jobs, 0.8%) between July and August, followed by New York (5,200 jobs, 1.5%); Pennsylvania (4,100 jobs, 1.7%); Texas (3,300 jobs, 0.4%) and Oregon (3,200 jobs, 3.1%). New Mexico added the highest percentage (6.7%, 3,100) of jobs for the month, followed by Mississippi (3.4%, 1,400 jobs); Oregon and Kentucky (2.0%, 1,600 jobs).
Nineteen states lost construction jobs for the month with Nevada losing the most (-2,600 jobs, -2.8%). Other states losing a high number of construction jobs for the month include Florida (-2,200 jobs, -0.4%); Nebraska (-1,800 jobs, -3.3%) and North Carolina (-1,800 jobs, -0.8%). Hawaii lost the highest percentage (-3.5%, -1,300 jobs) of construction jobs for the month, followed by West Virginia (-3.3%, -1,100 jobs); Nebraska and Nevada.
Association officials said the best thing Washington leaders can do to boost demand for construction and employment in the sector is to increase investments in infrastructure and provide liability protections for firms taking steps to protect workers from the coronavirus. They added that extending the current surface transportation bill for one-year – which appears likely to occur – will provide needed short-term certainty for the transportation construction market.
“The best way to create jobs and boost economic activity is to rebuild aging infrastructure, provide market certainty and protect firms from needless suits,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer.
View state employment data, 12-mo, 1-mo rankings, map and high and lows. View the workforce survey results.
Related Stories
Market Data | May 19, 2020
5 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 19, 2020
Clemson's new mass timber building and empty hotels as an answer for the affordable housing shortage.
Market Data | May 18, 2020
5 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 18, 2020
California's grid can support all-electric buildings and you'll miss your office when it's gone.
Market Data | May 15, 2020
6 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 15, 2020
Nonresidential construction employment sees record loss and Twitter will keep all of its office space.
Market Data | May 15, 2020
Nonresidential construction employment sees record loss in April
The construction unemployment rate was 16.6% in April, up 11.9 percentage points from the same time last year.
Market Data | May 14, 2020
5 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 14, 2020
The good news about rent might not be so good and some hotel developers consider whether to abandon projects.
Market Data | May 13, 2020
House democrats' coronavirus measure provides some relief for contractors, but lacks other steps needed to help construction
Construction official says new highway funding, employee retention credits and pension relief will help, but lack of safe harbor measure, Eextension of unemployment bonus will undermine recovery.
Market Data | May 13, 2020
5 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 13, 2020
How to design resilient libraries in a post-covid world and vacation real-estate markets are 'toast.'
Market Data | May 12, 2020
ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator falls in April; Contractor Confidence rebounds from historic lows
Nonresidential construction backlog is down 0.4 months compared to the March 2020 ABC survey and 1.7 months from April 2019.
Market Data | May 12, 2020
6 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 12, 2020
A 13-point plan to reduce coronavirus deaths in nursing homes and Bjarke Ingels discusses building on Mars.
Market Data | May 11, 2020
Interest in eSports is booming amid COVID-19
The industry has proved largely immune to the COVID-19 pandemic due to its prompt transition into online formats and sudden spike in interest from traditional sports organizations.
