Construction employment remains below where it was in the month before the Covid-19 outbreak, according to the most recent figures compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As of last month, 42 states are still not up to the construction employment levels reached in February of 2020, while 8 states have now exceeded those levels.
Not surprisingly, the country’s biggest states have continued to see the biggest construction job losses, with Texas off by 49,100 jobs; followed by New York, recording a decline of 45,200 jobs.
California came in third, with a total decline of 30,400 jobs since early 2020.
At the same time, Florida has now seen an increase of 3,700 jobs; followed by Michigan. with 1,600 new jobs; and Minnesota, with 1,200 new construction positions.
States in the West have generally remained on the downside, according to an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers done by the Associated General Contractors of America.
That analysis showed Arizona, which had 176,300 construction jobs in February 2020, now at 174,000; Colorado totals went from 179,300 to 171,500 during that same time period; while New Mexico charted a decline of just under 5,000 jobs, from 52,000 to 47,300 jobs.
Looking at all industries, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a gain of 559,000 new jobs last month nationally. According to the agency’s report the most “notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, in public and private education, and in health care and social assistance.”
By Garry Boulard
