R.I. second in nation for construction job growth in March

RHODE ISLAND ranked second in the nation for year-over-year construction employment growth in March, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. / COURTESY ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA
RHODE ISLAND ranked second in the nation for year-over-year construction employment growth in March, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. / COURTESY ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island ranked second in the nation for its 13.3 percent year-over-year construction job growth in March, the Associated General Contractors of America said Friday.
Rhode Island gained 2,200 jobs in March, for a total of 18,700, compared with 16,500 in March 2015. Hawaii was first in the nation for its 20.9 percent construction job growth, to 40,500 from 33,500. Massachusetts had the third-highest percentage of new construction jobs, at 11.9 percent, an addition of 16,000 jobs, to 150,100 from 134,100.
Hawaii, Rhode Island and Massachusetts were among 44 states and the District of Columbia that added construction jobs year over year in March, according to an analysis of federal Labor Department data from the Associated General Contractors of America. Five states that experienced year-over-year construction employment declines are all energy-producing states where construction demand likely suffered from diminishing prices for coal, oil and other fuels, the association said.
California added the most construction jobs with 39,600 jobs, a 5.6 percent increase, year over year in March.
North Dakota lost the highest percent at 15.7 percent and total number of construction jobs at 5,700 jobs for the year. Other states that lost jobs for the year include Alaska (-8.7 percent, -1,600 jobs), Wyoming (-7.1 percent, -1,700 jobs), Kansas (-5.6 percent, -3,400 jobs) and West Virginia (-1.2 percent, -400 jobs).
Construction employment was unchanged in Connecticut.
“Construction employment growth occurred in all regions in the latest 12 months,” Ken Simonson, chief economist for the association, said in a statement. “The only soft spots in construction demand and employment are in states that rely on energy extraction for a large segment of their economy. The economic diversity across the leading job-growth states suggest that construction will continue to add to jobs gains in much of the country.”

No posts to display