Construction employment increased in 171 out of 337 metropolitan areas between February 2011 and February 2012, decreased in 119 and stayed level in 47, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said employment was increasing in many metro areas thanks in large part to growing private sector demand for construction. “It is encouraging that the number of metro areas experiencing construction job gains outpaced the number of areas with losses,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “The increases would be even more widespread if not for public … Read more

The construction industry lost 7,000 jobs between February and March, following a similar decline of 6,000 the month before, but extended a pattern of modest year-over-year job increases, according to an analysis of new federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that lack of long-term federal highway and transit funding threatens to hold down future job gains. “Both the small monthly change and the March-to-March gain of 55,000 jobs or 1 percent are consistent with the uneven, tentative recovery that contractors have been reporting nationwide,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. He … Read more

Construction employment rose in 30 states and the District of Columbia between February 2011 and February 2012, while 18 states lost construction jobs and two held steady—the best net positive showing for state construction employment since January 2007, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. Twenty-nine states and D.C. added construction jobs between January and February, while 21 states had decreases for the month. “The number of states with year-over-year construction job gains keeps rising, which is very encouraging,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “But the industry is still struggling … Read more

U.S. Construction Industry Fueling Down 0.6% Year-Over-Year in February; Up 1.1% vs. Previous Month SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Wright Express Corporation, a leading global provider of value-based business payment processing and information management solutions, in collaboration with IHS, the leading global source of information and analytics, recently released results of its Wright Express Construction Fuel Consumption Index (FCI), which indicated a decrease of 0.6% in February versus its level the previous year. The Wright Express Construction FCI measures national fuel consumption statistics for the construction industry, which provides an accurate and up-to-date indication of construction activity in the United States. … Read more