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New Jersey sees biggest drop in construction jobs in US
But New York added workers in March
Across New York State, the construction industry employed 329,200 workers in March, up slightly from last month and from the same period last year, according to the Associated General Contractors of America trade organization. But things were not nearly as encouraging in New Jersey.
New York added 1,700 more jobs last month and 4,300 jobs since March of last year, amounting to an annual increase of 1.3 percent, the latest report showed. The monthly half-percent increase landed New York a spot in the top twenty states with construction employment gains from last month, according to the data.
“The widespread gains in employment from a year ago are encouraging, given the tough winter many states experienced right through March,” Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, said in the press release.
Across the Hudson, the state of New Jersey shed more construction jobs than any other state, year-over-year, with a drop of 4,600 workers, a 3.4 percent drop. Meanwhile, Florida had the biggest gain, with an 11.5 percent jump year-over-year. Overall, construction employment grew in 22 states and declined in 23.
“The never-ending winter of 2014 may account for the dip in the number of states that added construction jobs in the latest month, but it is also possible that single-family homebuilders are not adding workers as some forecasters expected.” – Angela Hunt
(Image of construction workers from Shutterstock)