New York State construction jobs post slight annual gain but monthly loss

New York State posted a slight annual gain in construction employment in June, but the number of jobs slipped from last month, according to the Associated General Contractors of America trade organization. The state added 6,000 more jobs last month than during the same period in 2012, which amounts to a 1.9 percent increase.

The number of construction jobs in the state declined from the previous month however, slipping from 318,700 in May to 317,900 in June – a drop of 0.3 percent.

“With current conditions, one misguided regulation and one missed investment opportunity could cost a lot of hard working construction workers their jobs,” Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO of Associated General Contractors of America, said in a release.

However, New York’s gain pales in comparison to that of Wyoming, which added the highest percentage in jobs year-over-year in June at 10.4 percent. In sum, construction employment grew in 36 U.S. states and declined in 14.

“Job gains and losses were quite different last month from the patterns in the past several years as some lagging states — notably Nevada — added workers, while former high-flyers such as Texas, had layoffs,” Ken Simonson, the trade group’s chief economist, said in the release. “On a year-over-year basis, construction employment has increased in more than two-thirds of the states, but nearly all states lag their pre-recession peaks for construction jobs.” – Julie Strickland