By Phil Riske
Managing Editor, Rose Law Group
With the loss of more than 42,000 construction jobs since October 2008, Arizona ranks first among the states in those losses, according to Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA) records.
In October last year, records show the state had 176,300 construction jobs. Last month, the number had declined to 133,700, a loss of 42,600 building jobs. From August ’08 through September ’08, the state actually gained 100 such jobs, but they have gradually declined since then.
David Martin, president of the Arizona General Contractors Association was not immediately available for comment.
The five biggest percentage losses in construction employment over the year occurred in Nevada (26.9 percent, or 30,200 jobs); Arizona (24.2 percent); Tennessee (22.3 percent, or 29,300 jobs); Kentucky (20.8 percent, or 17,600 jobs), and Connecticut (19.3 percent or 12,500 jobs).
AGCA says 40 states saw double-digit percentage decreases in construction employment for the year. Construction employment, meanwhile, only expanded in North Dakota during the past year, with an increase of 1.9 percent, totaling 400 jobs.
“A shockingly large portion of the construction industry’s workforce has simply evaporated,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the association. He added that the national construction unemployment rate of 18.7 percent was the highest of any sector in October and the industry accounted for one-fifth of all job losses in the past year, even though construction only employs one out of 20 workers.
The largest monthly gains were a 4.6 percent rise in Michigan (5,400 jobs); 3.4 percent in Wisconsin (3,500 jobs); 3.3 percent in Indiana (4,000 jobs); 2.6 percent in West Virginia (900 jobs), and 2.3 percent in Rhode Island (400 jobs), an AGCA release states.
Because construction workers have carried the burden of the downturn’s job losses, the easiest way to cut unemployment and boost the economy is to get America building again,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Increasing investments in highway, transit and infrastructure construction must be the core component to the ‘jobs’ bill that Washington officials are committing to pass soon.”
