Despite struggles finding workers, S.C. construction employment grows

Listen to this article

As construction employment grew in nearly 60% of metro areas in the United States for 2019, the Associated General Contractors of America said construction firms are still having difficulty finding qualified workers.

The highest-ranked metro area in South Carolina in the organization’s most recent analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data is Augusta-Richmond County at 57. The area added 1,000 jobs for 6% growth between December 2018 and December 2019.

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin ranked 80th with the addition of 1,000 construction jobs over the year, a 5% increase.

Charleston saw a 4% change over 12 months, with the addition of 800 jobs for a ranking of 105. Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach ranked 168 with the addition of 200 jobs, or 2% growth. Columbia ranked 194th with 1% growth, an addition of 200 jobs.

AGC said difficulty finding qualified employees may be limiting employment growth in some areas.

“There are not enough qualified workers in many parts of the country for firms to be able to keep pace with the strong demand for work,” Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist, said in a news release. “Construction workforce shortages appear to be holding back further job gains in many parts of the country.”

The Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas metro added the most construction jobs in 2019 at 16,700, an increase of 11%. The largest job losses between December 2018 and 2019 occurred in New York City, with 4,500 jobs lost for a minus-3% drop.