Dive Brief:
- Construction employment grew in only 23 states between August and September, while year-over-year, 35 states saw an increase between September 2014 and September 2015, the Associated General Contractors of America reported.
- Florida (3,200 jobs; .8%) and Arkansas (3.9%; 700 jobs) booked the highest month-over-month gains in employment, while North Carolina (-3,300 jobs; -1.7%) and Montana (-4.4%; 1,100 jobs) were the biggest monthly losers.
- AGC officials chalk up construction job losses to a skilled labor shortage and uncertainty about funding from Washington.
Dive Insight:
September's disappointing growth follows last month's news that only 25 states added construction jobs between July and August.
AGC CEO Stephen E. Sandherr said: "Depending on the kind of work they perform, many contractors either can't find enough workers, or they can't find enough work. While overall demand for construction continues to grow and sap the pool of available labor, firms that work on federally-funded projects are dealing with a lot of uncertainty."
A top priority for the AGC this year has been their plan to reestablish a dependable construction career pipeline as set forth in the AGC 2015 Workforce Development Plan. As for uncertainty from Washington, the current, underfunded House bill proposal will most likely end in yet another extension before current funding expires on Oct. 29.
