Construction employment rose from April to May in 45 states and Washington, D.C., following the loss of nearly 1 million construction jobs nationwide in April, according to www.agc.org.
“The widespread uptick in construction employment in May is welcome news following a month in which industry employment shrank in all but one state,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. “Our association’s latest survey shows many firms have been recalling or adding employees in recent weeks, thanks in part to rapid receipt of Paycheck Protection Program loans. But only about one-fifth of firms report winning new or expanded projects, while almost one-third of firms say an upcoming project has been canceled.”
Pennsylvania added the most construction jobs from April to May—77,400—and Michigan had the largest percentage increase of construction jobs for the month—51.4%. Hawaii lost the largest number of construction jobs (-700) and highest percentage of construction jobs (-1.9 percent) for the month.
From May 2019 to May, 12 states added construction jobs and 38 states and Washington, D.C., lost jobs. Utah added the most construction jobs during the year—8,200—and South Dakota, the only state to add construction jobs in April, had the largest year-over-year percentage increase—10.3%. New York lost the most construction jobs during the year (-105,300 jobs), and Vermont had the largest percentage decline (-26.1%).
Association officials cautioned that even as the immediate effects of COVID-19 appear to be easing, the industry is just beginning to appreciate the longer-term effects of the pandemic. They warned that without new federal recovery measures, the industry was likely to experience a second wave of job losses.
