S.C. continues to see construction job losses

Listen to this article

Although 40 states added jobs in construction over the past year, South Carolina was not one of them.

South Carolina lost 1,500 construction jobs between June and July, a change of minus-1.5%, according to an Associated General Contractors of America analysis of Department of Labor statistics. During the past year, the state has lost 2,800 industry jobs, or minus-2.7%.

Between May and June, South Carolina added 1,300 jobs for the month, or a 1.3% increase.

The analysis found 40 states added construction jobs between July 2018 and July 2019. From June to July 2019, construction employment increased in 25 states.

South Carolina was one of 10 states that lost construction employment during the past year. Between June and July, 22 states lost construction jobs.

Texas added the most construction jobs during the year (48,400 jobs, 6.6%), followed by California (37,100 jobs, 4.3%), Florida (21,300 jobs, 3.9%), and Arizona (17,400 jobs, 11%). Wyoming added the highest percentage of construction jobs over 12 months (13.1%, 2,600 jobs), followed by West Virginia (11.7%, 5,000 jobs), North Dakota (11.6%, 3,000 jobs), and Arizona.

Construction employment reached a record high in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

Louisiana lost the largest number and percentage of construction jobs (-12,100 jobs, -7.9%). Other states with large job losses included Ohio (-2,900 jobs, -1.3%) and Massachusetts (-2,500 jobs, -1.6%).

Click here to see the numbers by state.

“Demand for projects, and the workers to build them, shows no sign of letting up in most states, and contractors continue to increase headcount when they can find qualified workers,” AGC chief economist Ken Simonson said. “But job openings at the end of June were the highest ever for June, suggesting that contractors are struggling to find all the workers they need in many states.”