PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island ranked 47th among states and the District of Columbia for a year-over-year loss of 200 construction jobs in March, according to an analysis of federal Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Rhode Island had 16,100 construction jobs in March, a 1.2 percent drop from 16,300 construction jobs in March 2014.
The Ocean State was one of nine states that saw construction jobs decline in March, and it was one of 29 states, along with the District of Columbia, that saw construction jobs decrease between February and March. Rhode Island lost 400 jobs between February and March, a 2.4 percent decrease.
“While the year-over-year data remains relatively positive, it is troubling to see so many states losing construction jobs during the past month,” Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, said in a statement.
Said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s CEO, “The construction industry has clearly hit a soft patch.”
California added more new construction jobs – 46,300 jobs – between March 2014 and March 2015 than any other state. Idaho added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, at 14.8 percent or 4,800 jobs.
West Virginia and Mississippi were tied for the most construction jobs lost at 2,400. West Virginia lost the highest percentage at 7.2 percent.