Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), keeping a tight watch on U.S. Department of Labor data, said that 28 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between December 2010 and last month. The net nationwide change was 45,400.
The analysis came with a caution not to exult, however.
"It is encouraging that a clear majority of states added jobs during 2011, but it is too early to conclude that the industry is on a steady upswing," Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist, said in a statement accompanying the figures. "Public construction is likely to shrink in 2012 and there are many uncertainties about home building, office and retail construction."
North Dakota, which has been experiencing rapid growth in building, led the states that added jobs year-over-year. An additional 5,100 jobs represented a 24 percent growth there. California had the largest number of new jobs – 21,300 – for a 3.9 percent gain.
On the downside, New Mexico lost the largest percentage of jobs – 13.7 percent – because of a 6,000-job loss. Georgia was worst in raw numbers, losing 6,400 jobs, or 4.6 percent.
