Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C., added construction jobs from March 2017 to March 2018, and 29 states added construction jobs from February to March, according to www.agc.org.
"Construction employment continues to expand in most parts of the country as private-sector demand remains strong and limited, new public investments in infrastructure are beginning to have an impact," says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). "The two greatest risks to future construction job growth are a lack of available, qualified workers and the potential impacts of new tariffs being imposed by and on the United States."
California added the most construction jobs—54,400—between March 2017 and March 2018. Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas also added a large number of construction jobs. Additionally, West Virginia added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by Nevada, Idaho, Massachusetts and New Mexico.
Twenty-nine states added construction jobs from February to March, with Texas adding the most construction jobs—3,800—followed by Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan and Missouri. Alaska added the highest percentage of construction jobs for the month, followed by Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri.
Twelve states lost construction jobs between March 2017 and March 2018. North Dakota lost the highest number of construction jobs—4,300—followed by Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and New Jersey. Construction employment fell in 19 states and Washington, D.C., from February to March, and New York lost more than any other state—5,200.
AGC officials welcomed the widespread job gains but warned that the new tariffs announced by the Trump administration and countermeasures from other trading partners could undermine demand for construction of shipping, logistics and manufacturing facilities.
