Construction Employment Increases In 41 States From November 2023 To November 2024

Construction employment increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia in November from a year earlier, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the industry needs a viable program of workforce authorizations to keep up with demand.

“While job growth has been widespread over the past year, the more limited growth in the latest month may be a sign of the difficulty contractors face in finding qualified workers,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “More states would have added construction employees from October to November if there were enough qualified workers available to hire.”

Between November 2023 and November 2024, 41 and D.C. states added construction jobs — the highest 12-month total so far this year. Nine states shed jobs. Texas added the most construction employees (32,200 jobs or 3.9%), followed by Florida (28,700 jobs, 4.5%), Ohio (15,400 jobs, 6.4%) and Michigan (14,800 jobs, 7.8%). Alaska had the largest percentage gain over 12 months (20.3%, 3,600 jobs), followed by Hawaii (7.8%, 3,000 jobs), Michigan, Ohio and Oklahoma (6.4%, 5,500 jobs).

California lost the most construction jobs during the past 12 months (-11,500 jobs, -1.2%), followed by New York (-4,100 jobs, -1.1%), Maryland (-3,700 jobs, -2.3%), Oregon (-2,300 jobs, -2%) and Georgia (-1,300 jobs, -0.6%). The largest percentage loss was in Maryland, followed by Oregon, Maine (-1.5%, -500 jobs), California and New York.

For more details, visit agc.org.