R.I., Mass. construction jobs fall

PROVIDENCE – Employment in the construction sector in Rhode Island and Massachusetts fell during May compared with the same month last year, the Associated General Contractors of America said this week.
The association said the construction industry employed 16,400 people in Rhode Island in May, down 5.7 percent – or 1,000 jobs – from a year earlier. In Massachusetts, the industry employed 106,500 people in May, down 4.9 percent – or 5,500 jobs – from the same month last year. The association said 45 states showed year-over-year declines in construction employment.
“Construction workers will continue losing jobs until demand for new housing, office, retail and local public construction improves,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Although the stimulus is helping, it is very likely that construction employment has yet to hit bottom in most states.”
On a percentage basis, Nevada recorded the steepest drop, shedding 23 percent of construction jobs. Kansas showed the biggest increase, with the number of jobs there rising 6.2 percent. The association gathers its figures using federal data.