Only eight states and the District of Columbia have recouped the severe pandemic-induced losses of construction jobs that occurred last spring.

Construction spending increased by 1.4 percent in August as strong gains in residential construction outweighed decreases in most private nonresidential segments and many public categories.

Thirty-nine states lost construction jobs between August 2019 and August 2020 while 31 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between July and August according to an analysis of Labor Department data released by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Construction employment increased by 16,000 jobs in August, but the gains were concentrated in housing, while the infrastructure and nonresidential building construction sector lost 11,000 jobs.

The coronavirus has harmed the construction industry, prompting project delays and cancellations, layoffs and furloughs, yet it remains difficult for a majority of firms to find craft workers to hire, according to the results of a workforce survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk.

Construction spending declined for the fourth consecutive month in as decreases in single-family, highway and educational projects outweighed increases in several private nonresidential categories.

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued a statement in reaction to the release of Senate Republican’s latest coronavirus relief measure, the Heals Act.

Construction employment decreased in 225, or 62 percent, out of 358 metro areas between June 2019 and last month despite widespread increases from May to June, according to an analysis of new government data that the Associated General Contractors of America released yesterday.

Construction employment increased from May to June in 31 states and the District of Columbia, but the gains may have stalled, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today and a compilation of weekly jobsite hours by construction technology firm Procore. 

Construction employment increased in 329 out of 358 metro areas between April and May as a new survey finds that two-thirds of highway construction firms had at least one crash in the past year at highway work zones they operate.