R.I., Mass. construction employment down in July

PROVIDENCE – Employment in the construction sector in Rhode Island and Massachusetts fell in July compared with the same month last year, the Associated General Contractors of America said this month.
The association said the construction industry employed 16,000 people in Rhode Island in July, down 4.8 percent – or 800 jobs – from a year earlier. In Massachusetts, the industry employed 108,200 people in July, down half a percent – or 400 jobs – from the same month last year. The association said 43 states and Washington, D.C., showed year-over-year declines in construction employment.
But construction employment in 26 states added jobs in July compared with the month before.
Simonson said that the improving employment picture may be attributable to a bulge in federal stimulus-funded projects that could soon fade. •