The New York City metropolitan area added 14,600 construction jobs between October 2022 and October 2023, according to the Associated General Contractors of America, a 10% gain. The largest loss of jobs over those 12 months was 11,500 in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas metro area, a decrease of 5%.
Of 358 metro areas, 226, or 63%, grew in construction employment year over year. Association officials said that tight labor market conditions kept construction employment from increasing in even more metro areas.
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“Construction employment keeps growing in a solid majority of metro areas but many more would be in the plus-column if contractors could find qualified workers,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist, in a statement. “With construction unemployment hovering around 4%, it’s clear there aren’t enough jobseekers available to fill all the openings.”
Where did construction employment grow?
- New York City: 14,600 jobs, 10%
- Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas: 11,000 jobs, 7%
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 9,400 jobs, 20%
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon-Washington: 8,300 jobs, 10%
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts: 7,800 jobs, 10%
Where did construction employment decline?
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas: -11,500 jobs, -5%
- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado: -5,300 jobs, -5%
- Orange-Rockland-Westchester, New York: -4,500 jobs, -9%
- Nassau County-Suffolk County, New York: -4,500 jobs, -5%
Association officials pointed to the fact relatively few schools offer programs focused on construction as one reason not enough workers are seeking positions in the industry, despite the high wages available. They also pointed to the lack of temporary work visas available specifically for the construction industry.
“Policy makers need to expose more students to construction career opportunities and accept new workers if they truly want new infrastructure, clean energy, and manufacturing facilities,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO, in a statement.
Source: AGC
