Construction jobs grew in 250 metro areas in last year

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Construction employment grew in 250 out of 358 metro areas from April 2018 to April 2019, paced by a 14% increase, or 16,660 new jobs, in the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz., area.

Industry jobs decreased in 53 metro areas, according to an analysis of federal employment data by the Associated General Contractors of America. The association said demand for construction work exceeded the supply of qualified workers.

“Demand for construction is steady or rising in most parts of the country, and many contractors are adding workers when they can find them,” Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist, said in the release. “At the same time, many firms report they would have hired even more employees if only they could find enough qualified workers.”

Other metro areas adding construction jobs included Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas, with 9,200 new jobs, and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga., with 7,000 new jobs.

The largest construction job losses between April 2018 and April 2019 occurred in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N.C., area, which lose 2,600 jobs, and in Baton Rouge, La., which lost 1,800 jobs.