Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas and Anchorage, Alaska Have Highest Number and Percentage of Job Gains over 12 Months, While New York City and Bloomington, Ill. Experience Worst Year-over-Year Job Losses
Construction employment rose in 227, or 63 percent, of 358 metro areas between September 2023 and September 2024, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials noted that more metros would have construction employment gains if public officials provided more opportunities for individuals to acquire needed skills.
Every month, more than 60 percent of metro areas record year-over-year increases in construction employment, said Ken Simonson, the associations chief economist. But contractors consistently say they cant find enough qualified workers despite paying wages that far exceed the private sector average.
Simonson added that average hourly earnings for construction craft workers and other so-called production and nonsupervisory employees averaged $35.92 per hour in September 2024. That was more than 18 percent higher than the all-private average of $30.33 for production and nonsupervisory employees.
Construction employment declined over the year in 63 metro areas and was unchanged in 68 areas. The largest job loss occurred in New York City (-8,800 jobs, -6 percent), followed by Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Ore.-Wash. (-4,000 jobs, -5 percent); San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. (-2,800 jobs, -5 percent); and Orange-Rockland-Westchester, N.Y. (-2,600 jobs, -5 percent). The largest percentage decrease occurred in Bloomington, Ill. (-13 percent, -500 jobs), followed by Duluth, Minn.-Wis. (-8 percent, -800 jobs); Grants Pass, Ore. (-8 percent, -100 jobs); and Calvert-Charles-Prince George's, Md. (-7 percent, -2,200 jobs).
Association officials urged public officials to do more to enable students and workers to learn about the high pay and career advancement opportunities in construction. They noted that the federal government currently spends four times more on college education than on career and technical programs.
The mismatch in funding means that good-paying construction jobs go unfilled while too many college graduates are saddled with high debt and limited career prospects, said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, the associations chief executive officer. With better funding and publicity to open up opportunities in construction, public officials can ensure that projects stay on schedule and more metro areas will enjoy employment gains.