Construction Employment Keeps On Growing
From January 2014 through this January, construction companies added jobs in 43 states and D.C., according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
And, between this past December and January, 31 states and D.C. added construction workers, the AGC noted, adding that further construction gains could be undermined if Congress and the administration fail to address infrastructure funding challenges and growing regulatory burdens.
The job growth was welcomed, said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, but “it is unclear how public sector demand and new regulatory requirements will overshadow relatively robust private-sector demand.”
Texas added more new construction jobs (49,600 jobs, 7.9 percent) between January 2014 and January 2015 than any other state.
Other states adding a high number of new construction jobs included California, Florida, Washington, New York, North Dakota, Idaho and Colorado. While seven states shed construction jobs during that period, with Mississippi, Indiana, West Virginia, Minnesota and Maine seeing the highest declines.
Association officials said they were worried about the Obama administration’s efforts to issue a host of new regulations during the remainder of the President’s terms. “If Congress and the Obama administration are serious about wanting to help the middle class, they will need to find a way to fund infrastructure investments over the long term,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “And the administration needs to stop trying to impose its failed legislative agenda via regulatory fiat.”
Click here to read the AGC's complete news release.
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