NYC adds 124K construction jobs in August

New York City added 123,800 construction jobs in August, ranking in the middle of the pack among jobs added in metropolitan areas, at No. 121 in the Associated General Contractors of America’s monthly employment report.

The increase lifted construction employment 4 percent year-over-year, up from the addition of 118,800 jobs in August 2012. Statewide, New York gained 343,400 construction jobs, a 3 percent year-over-year lift from the 331,800 jobs added the same time last year.

Nationwide, construction employment expanded in 194 metro areas, declined in 88 and was stagnant in 57. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., area saw the largest gains with 8,900 jobs added, a year-over-year boost of 8 percent, while the Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, Calif., area suffered the greatest decline with 4,900 jobs lost.

“It has been a tough decade for much of the construction industry, considering that many areas experienced peak employment levels in the middle of the last decade,” Stephen Sandherr, the association’s CEO, said in a release. “More troubling, it will take a lot more growth before significantly more metro areas get back to peak employment levels in construction.”

While growing private sector demand for new residential and industry facilities lifted construction employment in some areas, declining investments in infrastructure and other public projects restrained growh, association officials said in a release.

“Instead of feast or famine, conditions right now are more akin to moderate snacking or famine depending on the type of work firms perform,” Sandherr said in the release. — Julie Strickland