Construction employment drops in August in Prov. metro

THIS $40 million academic building  at Friendship and Clifford streets in Providence for Johnson & Wales University is slated for completion in July. Construction began in the spring. Construction employment fell 0.4 percent in August compared with August 2014, according to Associated General Contractors of America.
 / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
THIS $40 million academic building at Friendship and Clifford streets in Providence for Johnson & Wales University is slated for completion in July. Construction began in the spring. Construction employment fell 0.4 percent in August compared with August 2014, according to Associated General Contractors of America. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – The Providence-Warwick metropolitan area ranked 210th out of 358 metropolitan areas around the country for losing 0.4 percent of construction jobs year over year in August.

Associated General Contractors released data on Monday showing that the Providence metro had 22,200 construction jobs in August, compared with 22,300 during August 2014, a difference of 100 jobs.

The Providence metro was one of 153 metros that saw construction employment decline during the year-over-year period, the association said. In comparison, 163 areas added construction jobs. Construction employment was unchanged in 42 metro areas, the association said.

“The fact that fewer than half of metro areas added construction jobs at a time when there were gains in nearly three-fourths of the states suggests that contractors in many more metros would be hiring if they could find qualified workers,” Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, said in a statement.

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The largest year-over-year job losses in August were in Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, which lost 6,000 jobs, or 8 percent, and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas, which lost 3,700 jobs, a 2 percent decline.

The largest percentage decline for the past year was in Santa Fe, N.M., at 22 percent, a loss of 600 jobs, followed by Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Miss., at 20 percent, or 1,700 jobs.

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo., added the most construction jobs during the past year – 10,400 jobs, or 11 percent.

The largest percentage gains occurred in Weirton-Steubenville, W.V.-Ohio at 28 percent or 500 jobs, and Fairbanks, Alaska, at 22 percent, 700 jobs.

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