Fewer Than Half of Metros Add Construction Jobs in August; Dodge Starts, ABI Drop

By Ken Simonson, AGC Data DIGest

Construction employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased from August 2014 to August 2015 in only 163 (46%) of the 358 metro areas (including divisions of larger metros) for which the BLS provides construction employment data, decreased in 153 (43) and was stagnant in 42, according to an AGC release and map today that analyzed BLS data. (BLS combines mining and logging with construction in most metros to avoid disclosing data about industries with few employers.) The number of metros with job increases was the smallest since late 2011. It is possible that employment gains in some metros were held down by a lack of available workers rather than lack of projects; 86% of the 1,358 respondents to an AGC survey released on September 10 said they were having difficulty filling hourly craft or salaried professional positions. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood added the largest number of construction jobs in the past year (10,400 construction jobs, 11%), followed by the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett division (8,700 construction jobs, 11%); Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, Calif. (7,500 construction jobs, 9%) and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell (7,300 construction jobs, 7%). The largest percentage gains occurred in Weirton-Steubenville, W. Va.-Ohio (28%, 500 combined jobs), followed by Fairbanks, Alaska (22%, 700 construction jobs) and Wenatchee, Wash. (17%, 400 combined jobs). The largest job losses again were in Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (-6,000 combined jobs, -8%), followed by Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (-3,700 construction jobs, -2%). The largest percentage decrease was in Santa Fa, N.M. (-22%, -600 combined jobs), followed by Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Miss. (-20%, -1,700 combined jobs); Lawrence-Methuen Town-Salem, Mass.-N.H. (-20%, -500 combined jobs) and Las Cruces, N.M. (-19%, -700 combined jobs).