Only five out of 337 metropolitan areas saw an increase in construction
employment between October 2008 and October 2009, according to a new study from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, construction employment nationally tumbled by 1.1
million jobs over the past 12 months alone, with 328 metro areas reporting
losses. Construction employment was unchanged in four metros.
“Imagine if the entire population of greater Salt Lake City lost their jobs,
because that’s basically what has happened to construction employment in
America’s largest communities,” said
Ken Simonson, chief
economist of the Associated General Contractors of America. “In many communities,
construction employment isn’t just contracting, it is collapsing.”
Simonson noted that Reno-Sparks, NV, again had the largest percentage decline
with a 32 percent drop in construction employment. Other cities with large
percentage declines in construction employment included Kokomo, IN (31 percent);
Redding, CA (30 percent); El Centro, CA (29 percent); and the Cleveland, OH
area (28 percent).
Simonson added that the Phoenix metro area lost the most construction jobs
(33,000); followed by Atlanta (24,700); and Las Vegas-Paradise, NV (24,500).
In comparison, only one community saw double-digit job gains. Columbus, IN,
again led the nation in construction job growth with a 20 percent increase,
totaling 400 added construction jobs. Four other cities saw increases in
construction employment:
Anderson, IN (6 percent);
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA (5 percent);
Tulsa, OK (3 percent); and
the Davenport, IA area (1 percent).
Those five communities combined added only 1,900 construction jobs over the
past 12 months.
“Getting construction workers back on the job will provide a significant
economic boost to virtually every community in America,” said Stephen
E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “The lesson
for Washington ought to be clear: we should be building our way out of the
country’s current bleak employment picture.”
Sandherr urged Congress and the Administration to include new construction and
infrastructure investments as the core component of any new measures designed
to address an employment market that has left over 10 percent of Americans, and
18.7 percent of construction workers, unemployed.
Click here
to view the data by state, and here
to view the data ranked by percent change.
Source: Associated General Contractors of America
