Construction employment declined or stagnated in 101 metro areas between February 2020, the last month before the pandemic, and last month, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials said that labor shortages and supply chain problems were keeping many firms from adding workers in many parts of the country.
“Typically, construction employment increases between February and June in all but 30 metro areas,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “The fact that more than three times as many metros as usual failed to add construction jobs, despite a hot housing market, is an indication of the continuing impact of the pandemic on both demand for nonresidential projects and the supply of workers.”
Eighty metro areas had lower construction employment in June 2021 than February 2020, while industry employment was unchanged in 21 areas. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas lost the most jobs: 33,400 or 14%. Major losses also occurred in New York City (-22,000 jobs, -14%); Midland, Texas (-9,300 jobs, -24%); Odessa, Texas (-7,900 jobs, -38%) and Baton Rouge, La. (-7,700 jobs, -16%). Odessa had the largest percentage decline, followed by Lake Charles, La. (-34%, -6,700 jobs); Laredo, Texas (-25%, -1,000 jobs); Midland; and Longview, Texas (-22%, -3,300 jobs).
Of the 257 metro areas—72%—added construction jobs over the February 2020 level, Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, Ill. added the most construction jobs over 16 months (14,300 jobs, 12%), followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis. (13,800 jobs, 18%); Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind. (10,700 jobs, 20%); Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich. (9,300 jobs, 18%); and Pittsburgh, Pa. (7,600 jobs, 13%). Fargo, N.D.-Minn. had the highest percentage increase (50%, 3,700 jobs), followed by Sierra Vista-Douglas, Ariz. (48%, 1,200 jobs); Bay City, Mich. (45%, 500 jobs); St. Cloud, Minn. (39%, 2,400 jobs) and Kankakee, Ill. (36%, 400 jobs).
Association officials urged Congress and the Biden administration to make new investments in workforce development and to take steps to address supply chain issues. “They called for additional funding for career and technical education; they noted that craft training receives only one-sixth as much federal funding as college preparation.” They also continued to call on the president to remove tariffs on key construction materials like steel and aluminum.
“Federal officials may talk about the value of craft careers like construction, but they are failing to put their money where their mouth is,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Until we expose more people to construction careers, and get a handle on soaring materials prices, the construction industry is likely to have a hard time recovering from the pandemic.”
Related Stories
Industry Research | Oct 25, 2016
New HOK/CoreNet Global report explores impact of coworking on corporate real rstate
“Although coworking space makes up less than one percent of the world’s office space, it represents an important workforce trend and highlights the strong desire of today’s employees to have workplace choices, community and flexibility,” says Kay Sargent, Director of WorkPlace at HOK.
Market Data | Oct 24, 2016
New construction starts in 2017 to increase 5% to $713 billion
Dodge Outlook Report predicts moderate growth for most project types – single family housing, commercial and institutional building, and public works, while multifamily housing levels off and electric utilities/gas plants decline.
High-rise Construction | Oct 21, 2016
The world’s 100 tallest buildings: Which architects have designed the most?
Two firms stand well above the others when it comes to the number of tall buildings they have designed.
Market Data | Oct 19, 2016
Architecture Billings Index slips consecutive months for first time since 2012
“This recent backslide should act as a warning signal,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker.
Market Data | Oct 11, 2016
Building design revenue topped $28 billion in 2015
Growing profitability at architecture firms has led to reinvestment and expansion
Market Data | Oct 4, 2016
Nonresidential spending slips in August
Public sector spending is declining faster than the private sector.
Industry Research | Oct 3, 2016
Structure Tone survey shows cost is still a major barrier to building green
Climate change, resilience and wellness are also growing concerns.
Industry Research | Sep 27, 2016
Sterling Risk Sentiment Index indicates risk exposure perception remains stable in construction industry
Nearly half (45%) of those polled say election year uncertainty has a negative effect on risk perception in the construction market.
Market Data | Sep 22, 2016
Architecture Billings Index slips, overall outlook remains positive
Business conditions are slumping in the Northeast.
Market Data | Sep 20, 2016
Backlog skyrockets for largest firms during second quarter, but falls to 8.5 months overall
While a handful of commercial construction segments continue to be associated with expanding volumes, for the most part, the average contractor is no longer getting busier, says ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.
