Between February 2022 and February 2023, construction employment increased in 45 states, according to an Associated General Contractors of America's (AGC) analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data released last week.
The states that gained the most jobs were:
Texas – +37,900 jobs (a 5% increase);
New York – +20,400 (+5.3%);
Florida – +1 9,700 (+3.3%);
Nevada – +12,100 (+11.8%); and
Georgia – +11,700 (+5.5%).
Five states and Washington, D.C., however, lost ground between February 2022 and February 2023. West Virginia led employment losses with a 2,200-job decline, and Colorado came in second with 1,500 jobs lost in that period.
Month over month however, from January 2023 to February 2023, construction employment saw increases in only 24 states, remained the same in six states and fell in 20 states and Washington, D.C.
California added the most jobs between January and February (+7,600), while Tennessee lost the most (-1,700).
See the AGC's job analysis and breakdown here.
AGC officials said that this data, despite a downturn in the residential building sector, highlights the strong, ongoing demand for construction workers but also indicates that a limited labor supply is still "holding many firms back."
"Unfavorable weather may have held back construction in many states last month compared to January," said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. "But construction employment continued to expand almost everywhere in February compared to a year ago, despite a slump in homebuilding."
The AGC said that many contractors are not bidding on projects because they don't have enough workers to take on the job. Once again, the association is asking Congress and President Joe Biden's administration to increase funding for career and technical education and to permit more skilled construction workers to legally enter the U.S.
"Infrastructure, the new green economy and semiconductor plants don’t build themselves, they need people," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. "If federal officials are so eager to build these kinds of facilities, they should be willing to invest in the people needed to build them."
