Dive Brief:
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Nineteen states added construction jobs last month, but 29 lost them, and two remained unchanged, the Associated General Contractors of America reported on Tuesday.
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Construction employment grew in 41 states between March 2014 and March 2015, according to an AGC analysis of U.S. Labor Department data.
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The numbers were better a month earlier, when construction employment increased in 33 states between January and February.
Dive Insight:
The AGC blamed the slowdown in job growth on Congress, which has not approved spending on transportation projects and other infrastructure construction that the association has said would add jobs industrywide.
“The construction industry has clearly hit a soft patch,” said AGC’s CEO, Stephen E. Sandherr. “Passing needed infrastructure measures will certainly help keep construction employment levels from backsliding.”
Some of the job loss resulted from layoffs in states with oil-based economies that are suffering from the declining energy demand. In fact, Texas lost 5,800 construction jobs between February and March, more than any other state, the AGC said.
