flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Construction employment in April lags pre-covid February 2020 level in 107 metro areas

Market Data

Construction employment in April lags pre-covid February 2020 level in 107 metro areas

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and Odessa, Texas have worst 14-month construction job losses.


By AGC | June 2, 2021

Courtesy Pixabay

Construction employment decreased from February 2020 – the last month prior to the pandemic – to April 2021 in 107, or 30%, of the nation’s metro areas, and was stagnant in another 34, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials said that construction employment in many parts of the country was being undermined by pandemic-induced project delays, materials price spikes and shortages, and difficulties finding labor.

“It is disturbing to see that nearly one-third of the nation’s metro areas had lower construction employment totals in the mild weather and strongly rebounding economy of April 2021 than in the winter of 2020,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Ever-growing supply-chain bottlenecks and record prices for numerous construction materials threaten to further chill demand for job gains in many metros.”

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas lost the largest number of construction jobs over the 14-month period (-29,300 jobs, -12%), followed by New York City (-22,300 jobs, -14%); Midland, Texas (-9,800 jobs, -26%); Odessa, Texas (-8,000 jobs, -39%); and Lake Charles, La. (7,200 jobs, -36%). Odessa had the largest percentage decline, followed by Lake Charles; Midland; Laredo, Texas (-23%, -7,200 jobs) and Longview, Texas (-23%, -3,400 jobs).

Construction employment was stagnant in 34 additional metro areas, while 217 metro areas—61%—added construction jobs over the pre-pandemic (February 2020) level. Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind. added the most construction jobs over 14 months (7,900 jobs, 15%), followed by Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, Ill. (6,300 jobs, 5%); Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash. (6,200 jobs, 6%); Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis. (5,900 jobs, 8%); and Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, Calif. (5,300 jobs, 8%).

Sierra Vista-Douglas, Ariz. had the highest percentage increase (44%, 1,100 jobs), followed by Fargo, N.D.-Minn. (34%, 2,500 jobs); Lawrence-Methuen Town Salem, Mass-N.H. (29%, 1,000 jobs); Bay City, Mich. (27%, 300 jobs) and Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, Mass. (22%, 700 jobs).

Association officials called on the Biden administration to take steps to address rising materials prices and growing labor shortages. These steps include removing tariffs on key construction materials like steel, lumber and aluminum. And they include ending unemployment insurance supplements that are providing incentives for qualified workers to stay off payrolls for now.

“Washington has put in place a number of artificial barriers that are holding back the construction industry’s recovery,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Washington’s tariffs are making materials more expensive while its unemployment supplements are making workers more hesitant to return to payrolls.”

View the metro employment 14-month datarankingstop 10multi-division metros, and map.

Related Stories

Market Data | Aug 22, 2018

July architecture firm billings remain positive despite growth slowing

Architecture firms located in the South remain especially strong.

Market Data | Aug 15, 2018

National asking rents for office space rise again

The rise in rental rates marks the 21st consecutive quarterly increase.

Market Data | Aug 10, 2018

Construction material prices inch down in July

Nonresidential construction input prices increased fell 0.3% in July but are up 9.6% year over year.

Market Data | Aug 9, 2018

Projections reveal nonresidential construction spending to grow

AIA releases latest Consensus Construction Forecast.

Market Data | Aug 7, 2018

New supply's impact illustrated in Yardi Matrix national self storage report for July

The metro with the most units under construction and planned as a percent of existing inventory in mid-July was Nashville, Tenn.

Market Data | Aug 3, 2018

U.S. multifamily rents reach new heights in July

Favorable economic conditions produce a sunny summer for the apartment sector.

Market Data | Aug 2, 2018

Nonresidential construction spending dips in June

“The hope is that June’s construction spending setback is merely a statistical aberration,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.

Market Data | Aug 1, 2018

U.S. hotel construction pipeline continues moderate growth year-over-year

The hotel construction pipeline has been growing moderately and incrementally each quarter.

Market Data | Jul 30, 2018

Nonresidential fixed investment surges in second quarter

Nonresidential fixed investment represented an especially important element of second quarter strength in the advance estimate.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Contractors

Nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in June

National nonresidential construction spending declined 0.2% in June, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.21 trillion. Nonresidential construction has expanded 5.3% from a year ago.



Construction Costs

Data center construction costs for 2024

Gordian’s data features more than 100 building models, including computer data centers. These localized models allow architects, engineers, and other preconstruction professionals to quickly and accurately create conceptual estimates for future builds. This table shows a five-year view of costs per square foot for one-story computer data centers. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021