Employment Numbers 'Stalled,' Says Economist, Despite Rise in 34 States
Job numbers increased in 20 states from November to December.
Construction employment increased year-over-year in 34 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December, according to data recently released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment numbers saw no change in Maine and declined in 15 states. In Texas, 15,700 jobs were added, the highest of all states, while California saw the sharpest decline, with a loss of 19,800 jobs.
“Although a majority of states added construction employees over the year, employment has stalled in the latest month,” Ken Simonson, chief economist at Associated General Contractors of America, said in a statement. “Too many projects have been postponed or cancelled due to lack of funding, financing costs or policy uncertainty about tariffs and immigration enforcement.”
On a monthly basis, employment rose in 20 states between November and December, with Arizona seeing the largest number of new jobs. On the other end of the spectrum, construction employment dropped in 26 states, with Minnesota leading the decline. Job numbers in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado and Pennsylvania showed no change.
Jeffrey D. Shoaf, chief executive officer at AGC, attributed the drop in employment to a decline in funding for highway projects. “Contractors need to know that highway funds will keep flowing before they can commit to hiring or retaining essential workers,” said Shoaf. “It’s imperative that the Trump administration and Congress provide that certainty by working now on the specifics of the next surface transportation bill.”
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