COVID Still Pushing Construction Employment Down

Construction employment levels in July remained below pre-pandemic levels in 36 states across the country, according to an analysis of government data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

“This data shows that full recovery remains elusive for construction in most states,” Ken Simonson, the AGC’s chief economist, said in a prepared statement. “In fact, the fast-spreading COVID-19 Delta variant may make it harder to find employees eligible to work on restricted sites and may also depress demand if some owners defer projects.”

Since February 2020, the last month before pandemic-induced project shutdowns and cancellations, Texas, New York, and California have lost the largest amount of construction jobs. Louisiana and Wyoming have experienced the largest percentage decrease in construction employment over the same period.

On a month-to-month basis, construction employment increased in 30 states from June to July. North Carolina, New Jersey, and Illinois added the largest amount of construction jobs from June to July while Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Pennsylvania experienced the largest monthly declines in construction employment.

AGC officials warned that construction employment was being impacted in many parts of the country due to supply chain challenges and growing market uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 Delta variant.