Thirty-three states added construction jobs in June as contractors continued to struggle to find workers, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Forty-five states added construction jobs during the past year.
“Unlike some other parts of the economy, construction is showing no letup in activity,” said Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. “But with an industry unemployment rate of only 3.6%, contractors in many states have had a tough time in recent months finding enough workers to execute all of their projects.”
Texas added the most construction jobs from May to June—11,000—and South Dakota had the largest percentage increase of construction jobs for the month—4.3%. During the past 12 months, Texas added the most construction jobs—30,500—and Arkansas had the largest percentage increase—11.8%
Virginia lost the largest number of construction jobs (-3,200) for the month, and Iowa had the largest percentage decline (-2%). During the past 12 months, Missouri lost the most construction jobs (-1,800) and North Dakota and Vermont had the largest percentage decline (-1.9%).
