Construction Employment Declines or Stagnates Between May 2015, 2016

Construction employment declined or was stagnant in 131, or 37 percent, of 358 metro areas between May 2015 and May 2016, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. The data comes as years of underfunding have contributed to declining highway, transit and other public infrastructure just 60 years after President Eisenhower signed the first interstate highway act.

The largest job losses from May 2015 to May 2016 were in Midland, Texas (-1,700 jobs, -7 percent), followed by Odessa, Texas (-1,300 jobs, -8 percent); Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas (-1,100 jobs, -6 percent); Bloomington, Illinois (-1,100 jobs, -30 percent) and New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana (-1,100 jobs, -3 percent). The largest percentage declines for the past year were in Bloomington, Illinois; Fairbanks, Alaska (-15 percent, -500 jobs); Rocky Mount, North Carolina (-13 percent, -300 jobs); Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, Alabama (-11 percent, -100 jobs) and Lawton, Oklahoma (-11 percent, -200 jobs). Construction employment declined in 83 metro areas in the past year, stagnated in 48 areas, and rose in 227 areas.

Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, California added the most construction jobs during the past year (14,700 jobs, 17 percent). Other metro areas adding a large number of construction jobs include Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida (9,700 jobs, 16 percent); Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (8,100 jobs, 8 percent), Arizona and Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia (7,700 jobs, 7 percent). The largest percentage gains occurred in Monroe, Michigan (30 percent, 700 jobs); Honolulu, Hawaii (20 percent, 4,900 jobs); Boise City, Idaho (19 percent, 3,500 jobs); Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, California and Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Florida (17 percent, 6,800 jobs).

The new employment figures reinforce the need for Congress to act on a number of short and long-term infrastructure measures, association officials said. Most immediately, they urged the House to act on water resources legislation passed by the Senate to invest in waterways and clean water systems. They also urged members of Congress and the administration to work together to find a long-term way to pay for needed repairs to the nation’s aging highways, bridges and transit systems.

View the state employment data by rank and state. View state employment map.