Construction Unemployment Rate Declines In 153 Out Of 358 Metro Areas

The largest job losses from August 2014 to August 2015 were in Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (-6,000 jobs, -8 percent), followed by Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (-3,700 jobs, -2 percent), Bergen-Hudson-Passaic, N.J. (-1,900 jobs, -6 percent) Akron, Ohio (-1,800 jobs, -13 percent) and New Orleans-Metairie, La. (-1,800 jobs, -6 percent). The largest percentage decline for the past year was in Santa Fa, N.M. (-22 percent, -600 jobs), followed by Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Miss. (-20 percent, -1,700 jobs), Lawrence-Methuen Town-Salem, Mass.-N.H. (-20 percent, -500 jobs) and Las Cruces, N.M. (-19 percent, -700 jobs).

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo. (10,400 jobs, 11 percent) added the most construction jobs during the past year. Other metro areas adding a large number of construction jobs included Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (8,700 jobs, 11 percent), Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, Calif. (7,500 jobs, 9 percent) and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. (7,300 jobs, 7 percent). The largest percentage gains occurred in Weirton-Steubenville, W.V.-Ohio (28 percent, 500 jobs), Fairbanks, Alaska (22 percent, 700 jobs), Wenatchee, Wash. (17 percent, 400 jobs) and Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas (16 percent, 3,100 jobs). Construction employment was unchanged in 42 metro areas.

Association officials noted that the number of metro areas experiencing construction employment declines has begun growing as Congress has failed to pass a long-term surface transportation bill and fears grow about a potential federal shutdown. This uncertainty is hurting demand for contractors who work on federal and federally-funded projects. Meanwhile, contractors working in in-demand areas like warehouse construction are having a hard time finding qualified workers, likely contributing to hiring slowdowns.

"Depending on the type of work they perform, contractors either can’t find enough work for their people, or can’t hire enough workers for their projects," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. "Congress can help boost construction employment by passing measures to invest in aging infrastructure and supporting new investments in career and technical education programs to train future workers."