City adds over 119,000 construction jobs in November

New York City added 119,800 construction jobs in November, ranking in the middle of the pack — 155th to be precise — for jobs added in metropolitan areas, according to the Associated General Contractors of America’s monthly employment report.

The increase lifted construction employment 3 percent year-over-year, up from the addition of 116,500 jobs in November 2012. Statewide, New York gained 326,900 construction jobs, a 3 percent year-over-year increase from the 316,800 jobs added in the same month one year ago.

Nationwide, construction employment expanded in 211 metro areas, declined in 67 and was stagnant in 61 in November, according to the report. The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta metro area in Georgia saw the highest uptick with 9,100 posts added — an 8 percent increase over 2012 — and the Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio/Kentucky area suffered the greatest losses with a 10 percent year-over-year decline, or 4,000 fewer jobs than in November 2012.

“Construction employment continued to expand in many parts of the country in November, but most areas have a long way to go before reaching prior peak levels,” Stephen Sandherr, AGC’s CEO, said in a release. “It will take many more months of strong economic growth and new investments in public infrastructure before many places experience construction employment levels close to their prior peaks.”

Sandherr pointed to Congress’s late-2013 budget deal as a an economic booster, but said in the release that the federal government must now tackle the challenge of financing needed investments in aging roads, bridges and other infrastructure systems to continue employment growth in the construction sector. — Julie Strickland