A booming gas industry has helped West Virginia increase construction job growth. The nation-leading 14.4% increase in the state’s construction workforce created 4,300 new jobs between January 2017 and January 2018, according to an Associated General Contractors of America report. The state’s percentage gain ranked above California (9.8%, 75,500 jobs), Nevada (9.7%, 7,800 jobs) and New Mexico (9.7%, 4,300 jobs).
Major pipeline projects such as TransCanada’s Leach Xpress project kept West Virginia workers busy. The year-long project put into service in January was built by 5,000 workers. New pipeline projects getting underway have the potential to bring more construction jobs to the state. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is slated to begin full construction later this spring.