Construction employment decreased in 39 states between August 2019 and August 2020, according to an analysis of government data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Despite the widespread year-over-year (YOY) employment decreases, 31 states and the District of Columbia added jobs between July and August. The AGC said the government employment data highlights how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has undermined demand for construction projects after a strong beginning to 2020.
“The share of contractors that reported postponed or cancelled projects nearly doubled [between an AGC survey in mid-June and August] while the share who reported winning new or expanded work dropped nearly in half,” AGC chief economist Ken Simonson said in a news release.
On a YOY basis, California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, and Illinois suffered the largest employment decreases in pure numbers. Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, Louisiana, and New York lost the largest percentage of construction jobs between August 2019 and August 2020. Utah experienced the largest construction employment increase in pure numbers over the past 12 months while South Dakota added the highest percentage of construction jobs on a YOY basis.
Despite the YOY decreases in state construction employment, California and New York added the most construction jobs in pure numbers between July and August. New Mexico added the highest percentage of construction jobs between the two months. Nevada and Florida lost the most construction jobs between July and August while Hawaii and West Virginia lost the highest percentage of construction jobs on a month-to-month basis.
