Construction employment grows in Prov.-Fall River-Warwick area

VINYL SIDING installers Jose Alfredo Garcia, rear, and Hugo Caal, front, work on a home in western Cranston for Picerne Homes. The Associated General Contractors of America said construction employment grew 2 percent in the Providence-Fall River-Warwick metropolitan area from October 2013 to October 2014.. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
VINYL SIDING installers Jose Alfredo Garcia, rear, and Hugo Caal, front, work on a home in western Cranston for Picerne Homes. The Associated General Contractors of America said construction employment grew 2 percent in the Providence-Fall River-Warwick metropolitan area from October 2013 to October 2014.. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – Construction employment expanded in 228 metropolitan areas from October 2013 to October 2014, and the Providence-Fall River-Warwick area was one of them, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
In the Providence-Fall River-Warwick area, construction jobs grew 2 percent, from 22,000 to 22,500 year-over-year, giving it a rank of 203 out of 339 metropolitan areas surveyed for the pace of growth.
Construction employment declined in 64 metro areas and was stagnant in 47 during the same period, according to the analysis based on federal employment data.
Even though the vast majority of metropolitan areas saw growth in construction jobs, many firms are reporting difficulty finding qualified workers, the AGC reported.
“Even as a number of markets continue to struggle with declining construction demand and employment, most metro areas are adding construction jobs as the industry slowly recovers,” Ken Simonson, chief economist for the association, said in a statement. “As spending on construction continues to climb, more and more firms will struggle with the impacts of a labor market that is not keeping pace with demand.”
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas, added the largest number of construction jobs in the past year (12,900 jobs, 7 percent), followed by Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas (11,000 jobs, 9 percent), and Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. (9,200 jobs, 7 percent).
The largest percentage gains occurred in Pascagoula, Miss. (28 percent, 1,800 jobs), Terre Haute, Ind. (24 percent, 1,000 jobs), and Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio (21 percent, 7,800 jobs).
The largest job loss from October 2013 to October 2014 was in Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md. (-4,500 jobs, -14 percent). The largest percentage decline for the past year was in Steubenville-Weirton, Ohio-W.V. (-36 percent, -800 jobs).
Association officials said construction spending increased 3.3 percent between October 2013 and October 2014 as demand for residential construction and other private-sector segments expanded. At the same time, 83 percent of firms reported trouble finding qualified workers.
“Instead of capitalizing on the emerging recovery, many firms instead are struggling to find qualified workers to fill their construction crews,” Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s CEO, said in prepared remarks. “It is time to rethink our educational priorities when we have too many unemployed men and women who lack the skills to earn the kind of above-average wages construction work affords.”
View construction employment figures HERE.

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