Phoenix area boasts highest number of construction jobs in past year
May 30, 2019, 11:48 AM | Updated: 11:53 am
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Construction employment is on the rise in the Valley.
According to data released Thursday by the Associated General Contractors of America, the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area added 16,600 construction jobs (14%) from April 2018 to April 2019, the most out of the 358 metro areas ranked.
“Demand for construction is steady or rising in most parts of the country, and many contractors are adding workers when they can find them,” Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist said in a press release.
“At the same time, many firms report they would have hired even more employees if only they could find enough qualified workers.”
Coming in at No. 2 was the Dallas-Plano-Irving metro area, which saw a 9,200-job (6%) increase.
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Nationally, 250 of the 358 metro areas ranked saw construction employment rise, while 53 saw a decline and 55 remained unchanged.
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area in North and South Carolina saw 2,600 jobs lost over that span, the largest decline in the nation. The Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula metro area in Mississippi, and the Atlantic City-Hammonton metro area in New Jersey tied for the biggest percentage dropoffs, falling 13%.
According to AGCA, the decline is connected to the lack of knowledge prospective workers have surrounding the industry.
“One reason relatively few young adults choose to pursue rewarding careers in construction is because not many of them are being told it is an option to consider,” Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer, said in a press release.
“We have a lot of contractors looking for workers so they can keep up with the amount of work that is out there.”
