Map: Construction Labor Up 3.6% in October 2022
Originally Published by: NAHB — November 21, 2022
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Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 42 states in October compared to the previous month while eight states and the District of Columbia lost jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 261,000 in October, following a gain of 315,000 jobs in September.
On a month-over-month basis, employment data was strong in California, which added 56,700 jobs, followed by Texas (+49,500), and Florida (+36,400). Eight states lost a total of 26,400 jobs. In percentage terms, employment in Hawaii increased by 0.8% while Wyoming reported a 0.4% decline between September and October.
Year-over-year ending in October, 5.3 million jobs have been recovered, marking a full recovery of the labor market from the COVID-19 pandemic induced recession. All the states and District of Columbia added jobs compared to a year ago. The range of job gains spanned 695,500 jobs in California to 100 jobs added in Mississippi. In percentage terms, Texas reported the highest increase by 5.4%, while Mississippi was essentially unchanged (0.0%) compared to a year ago.
Across the 48 states which reported construction sector jobs data—which includes both residential as well as non-residential construction— 25 states reported an increase in October compared to September, while 19 lost construction sector jobs. Four states, Alaska, Minnesota, Montana, and Rhode Island reported no change. New York added 4,500 construction jobs while Pennsylvania lost 3,500 jobs. Overall, the construction industry added a net 1,000 jobs in October compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, North Dakota increased by 2.0% while Louisiana reported a decline of 2.7% between September and October.
Year-over-year, construction sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 266,000, which is a 3.6% increase compared to the October 2021 level. Texas added 41,600 jobs, which was the largest gain of any state, while Louisiana lost 9,000 construction sector jobs. In percentage terms, North Dakota had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector by 20.8%. Over this period, Louisiana reported a decline of 6.8%.
