According to new data released on Thursday, the number of people working in Arizona’s construction industry rose by 12,100 between January 2017 and January 2018. This marks an 8.8% increase in the state’s construction employment year over year, compared to a 2.7% increase in overall private sector employment.
In June 2006 construction employment peaked at 244,300. In fact, the state's economy was so built on growth that one out of every 11 jobs in the state was in construction. By contrast, the most recent figures put construction employment at 148,900, close to 6.3 percent of all private sector employment.
According to Doug Walls, research administrator for the state Office of Economic Opportunity, the job gains were spread across all segments of the construction industry, commercial and residential alike. However, he does note that the state’s new home permits – and prices – are on the rise.
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