Construction Employment Growth Lags in Majority of Country

Current supply chain disruptions are negatively impacting the sector’s ability to recover from pandemic-induced employment declines.

By Vincent Salandro

Construction employment remains below pre-pandemic levels in February 2020 in 35 states, according to an analysis of September employment data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Numbers from August suggested 39 states had construction employment numbers below pre-pandemic levels, suggesting a slight improvement nationwide from August to September. However, widespread supply chain disruptions likely will continue to impact the construction industry and the ability for employment to recover in the sector, according to the AGC.

Between February 2020 and September 2021, Texas, New York, and California lost the largest amount of construction jobs while Louisiana and Wyoming lost the largest percentage of industry jobs. During the same period, Utah, Washington, North Carolina, and Idaho have added the largest amount of industry jobs.

On a month-to-month basis, 16 states saw construction employment decrease between August and September. The largest month-to-month decline occurred in Tennessee, while the largest month-to-month percentage decrease occurred in Alaska. Texas, Florida, and Washington added the most construction jobs between August and September while Connecticut and Delaware experienced the largest month-to-month percentage increase of industry jobs.