As 2014 trudges along, those in the construction industry received some good news this week from the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department. According to the organization’s latest analysis, construction firms added jobs in 39 of 50 states and the District of Columbia over the last 12 months and in 29 states and D.C. between March and April of this year.
Despite the positive figures, however, the Association cautioned that the industry’s recovery “remained fragile” with construction employment levels below prior highs in every state with the exception of North Dakota, according to a story at ForConstructionPros.com.
Between April 2013 and April 2014, the state of Florida led the way in both percentage and total construction gains with a 12.1 percent increase and 43,000 new jobs. After Florida, California (39,000 jobs), Texas (23,900), and Pennsylvania (9,800) added the most new jobs over the past year while North Dakota, Nevada, and Utah added the next highest percentage of new jobs. In all, employment numbers in the industry declined in 10 states and remained unchanged in one.
Texas added the most jobs between March and April followed by California, Pennsylvania, and Florida while 20 states lost construction jobs last month. Virginia (-3,100) suffered the worst loss among the 20 states followed by New Jersey, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Arizona.
According to the report, the Association believes Congressional action on important infrastructure projects and measures could help the construction industry sustain its recovery.
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