The yearly outlook in the construction industry is positive as 39 states posted employment gains in the sector between May 2015 and May 2016. The monthly outlook is less positive, however, as only 19 states added construction jobs between April and May of this year.

 

Washington was the only state in the Northwest to post construction job gains on both a yearly and monthly basis in May. Sixteen states experienced both month-over-month and year-over-year construction employment growth in May.

 

Oregon posted a minor loss of 100 construction jobs in May, but still showed growth in the region year-over-year. Alaska, on the other hand, saw significant job losses in construction between May 2015 and May 2016, but experienced a rare month-over-month employment bump in the industry between April and May.

 

Washington
After losing 100 jobs in April, the construction industry in Washington rebounded in May by adding 1,600 jobs month-over-month. The state’s monthly construction employment growth rate of 0.9% ranks 12th nationally, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Associated General Contractors of America.

 

Washington’s construction industry also increased employment by 10,900 jobs between May 2015 and May 2016, according to seasonally-adjusted numbers. That equates to 6.3% growth rate, which ranks 14th nationally. The non-seasonally adjusted figures have the state adding 14,000 construction jobs year over year, with 8,900 of those positions coming from specialty trades.

 

Overall, the employment outlook in Washington is a positive one as the state added 8,700 non-farm jobs between April and May and increased employment by 101,700 jobs year-over-year. Still, Washington’s unemployment rate of 5.8% remains well above the national rate of 4.7% and is also 0.2% higher than the state’s revised unemployment rate for April.

 

Oregon

While the construction industry in Oregon added 1,700 jobs between April and May, seasonal adjustments have the sector losing 100 jobs in the month. The state’s negative construction employment growth rate of -0.1% ranks 21st nationally.

 

The construction industry’s year-over-year outlook is more positive, however. The sector led all of the state’s major industries in employment growth rate between May 2015 and May 2016 with a rate of 9.9%. That equates to 8,100 jobs added over that timespan, according to non-seasonally adjusted numbers from the state’s monthly employment report. The state’s seasonally-adjusted yearly construction employment growth rate of 7.1% ranks 9th nationally, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

 

Oregon’s labor market remained largely unchanged in May as the state’s unemployment rate stayed at 4.5% for the third straight month, which is 0.2% below the national average. The state added 61,300 non-farm jobs over the year, bringing its total non-farm employment to 1.84 million.

 

Alaska
Alaska saw a slight uptick in construction in employment, adding 300 jobs between April and May. While that gain is a modest one, the state’s monthly construction employment growth rate of 1.8% ranks third nationally. On a yearly basis, Alaska lost 900 construction jobs between May 2015 and 2016. That negative growth rate of -5.0% ranks 47th nationally, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

 

Overall, Alaska saw its unemployment rate raise 0.1% between April and May to 6.7%. Employment losses in the government and oil and gas industries contributed to a loss of jobs in the state.