Nearly one-fifth of U.S. metro areas lost construction jobs between September 2020 and September 2021, according to an analysis of government data released by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). The 12-month construction employment trends in the 358 analyzed metro areas is an improvement on August data, when roughly one-third of metro areas lost construction jobs on a year-over-year (YOY) basis.
“Many metros are having a hard time getting back to construction employments from last fall that were already low because of the pandemic,” AGC chief economist Ken Simonson said in a news release.
Two metros in New York, Nassau County-Suffolk County and New York City, lost the most jobs between September 2020 and September 2021. New Orleans-Metairie, La., and Calverty-Charles-Prince George’s, Md., ranked in the top four in terms of construction jobs lost over the past 12 months. The largest percentage declines in industry employment on a YOY basis occurred in Evansville, Ind.-Ky.; Fairbanks, Alaska; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Gadsden, Ala.
Of the 258 metro areas that experienced growth in the last 12 months, two California metros (Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade and San Diego-Carlsbad) experienced the largest increase in employment in pure numbers. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas; Sierra Vista-Douglas, Ariz.; and Waterbury, Conn., experienced the largest percentage growth in industry employment between September 2020 and September 2021.
The AGC noted that ongoing supply chain issues are likely stalling possible employment recovery for the construction industry across the country. Recent analysis by the association suggests that only 14 states and the District of Columbia have added construction jobs since February 2020, the last full month before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
