R.I. ranks 41st in nation for yearly construction job loss in July

RHODE ISLAND ranked 41st in the United States for its 0.6 percent construction job drop over the year in July, the Associated General Contractors of America said Friday. / COURTESY ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA
RHODE ISLAND ranked 41st in the United States for its 0.6 percent construction job drop over the year in July, the Associated General Contractors of America said Friday. / COURTESY ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island was one of 11 states that lost construction jobs over the year in July. It experienced a decline of 0.6 percent, or 100 jobs, the Associated General Contractors of America said Friday.

Rhode Island’s construction employment decline to 16,900 in July from 17,000 in July 2015, placing it 41st in percentage change on a rank of the 50 states and the District of Columbia by the association, which used federal Labor Department data to evaluate the states.

It said 39 states added construction jobs over the year, including Massachusetts, which ranked sixth highest on the list for its 8.4 percent gain, to 150,100 from 138,500.

First on the list with the highest percentage growth was Iowa at 16.5 percent, a gain of 12,800 jobs, to 90,300 from 77,500. Last on the list was North Dakota for its 8.5 percent decline, to 31,300 from 34,200, a loss of 2,900 jobs.

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California added the most construction jobs – 29,100 – over the year in July. Kansas lost the highest number of construction jobs, at 4,400, for the year.

When comparing month-over-month construction employment, Rhode Island rose to 17th on the list, for a 0.6 percent, or 100-job gain, to 16,900 in July from 16,800 in June.

Idaho ranked first for its month-over-month construction job gain of 4.6 percent, or 1,900 jobs, to 42,800 in July from 40,90 the month before. Delaware ranked the lowest for its 2.3 percent construction job loss month over month, dropping to 21,000 in July from 21,500 in June.

Association officials said construction employment likely declined in many states as firms have growing difficulty locating qualified workers to hire.

“Depending on market segment and geography, many firms report they are having a hard time finding enough workers to keep pace with demand,” Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO for the association, said in a statement. “While there is slack in key segments like infrastructure and parts of the country that are struggling economically, many of these declines likely have more to do with firms not being able to find workers than not being able to find work.”

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