ARLINGTON, Va. – The Rhode Island construction industry continued to shed jobs in September as employment in the sector fell 15.6 percent from a year earlier.
The Associated General Contractors of America said Wednesday that construction employed 17,300 people in Rhode Island in September, down from 17,400 the previous month and well below the 20,500 people employed in the industry in September 2008.
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Nationwide, Rhode Island ranked toward the middle of the pack at No. 32 in the percentage of construction jobs it lost over the 12 months that ended in September.
“While there’s little doubt construction employment would have been worse without the stimulus, there’s no question that the industry continues to shed jobs at an alarming rate,” Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, said in a statement. “The stimulus remains an important measure, but until private-sector demand for construction resumes, there’s little chance the current construction employment decline will turn around or even stop.”
Hardest hit with losses over the past year were Nevada (down 27.8 percent, or 31,100 jobs); Arizona (down 25.3 percent, or 45,900 jobs); Michigan (down 22.3 percent, or 15,700 jobs); Tennessee (down 21.5 percent, or 28,400 jobs); and Kentucky (down 19.5 percent or 16,500 jobs).
Louisiana, which is still rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, was the only state to add construction jobs during the past year.
Separately, the association reported this week that construction costs appear to be on the rise after plummeting during the recession.
Simonson said an analysis found significant upward movements from August to September in the prices of copper (up 10 percent), steel (up 3 percent) and aluminum (up 2 percent). All three products are essential for the vast majority of construction projects.
Simonson added that copper, aluminum and diesel fuel have moved to multi-month highs since the price survey was conducted a month ago.
“The days of construction estimates coming in 20 percent under estimate may soon be coming to an end,” Simonson said. “These figures serve as an important reminder that governments and developers looking for a good deal on construction should act quickly before having to pay significantly more for their projects.”
