Dive Brief:

• The number of metropolitan areas that added construction jobs over the past 12 months is at its lowest level in two years, the Associated General Contractors of America reported on Tuesday.

• Still, construction employment expanded in 205 metro areas between May 2014 and May of this year. It declined in 101 cities and was flat in 52 others between May 2014 and May 2015, the report noted.

• The Seattle, WA, area added the most construction jobs over the year, at 11,300 — a 15% bump. New Orleans lost the most, shedding 3,200 jobs, or 10%, the AGC said.

Dive Insight:

AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson blamed the lack of federal funding for transportation — which would help states pay for highway and bridge repairs and construction — for the thinning job roster. He said political uncertainty over the funding is undermining the construction industry’s recovery. And, in fact, he said that rebound “appears to be slowing in certain parts of the country.”