Steel Markets

Construction Employment Drops During Pandemic
Written by Sandy Williams
September 18, 2020
The year 2020 started out strong for the construction industry, but the latest annual employment figures show the impact of the pandemic. Canceled or postponed construction projects were reflected in new government data on construction employment analyzed by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Construction jobs fell in 39 states between August 2019 and August 2020, while 31 states and the District of Columbia added jobs between July and August, said AGC.
“The ongoing pandemic is prompting ever more private owners, developers and public agencies to delay and cancel projects,” said AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. “The share of contractors that reported postponed or canceled projects nearly doubled, while the share who reported winning new or expanded work dropped nearly in half.”
AGC broke down the gains and losses in employment as follows:
California lost the most construction jobs (-52,000, -5.8 percent) between August 2019 and August 2020, followed by New York (-46,000, -11.3 percent), Texas (-39,300 jobs, -5.0 percent), Massachusetts (-20,200 jobs, -12.4 percent) and Illinois (-17,200 jobs, -7.5 percent). Vermont lost the highest percent of construction jobs for the year (-29.6 percent, -4,500 jobs), followed by Massachusetts, Iowa (-11.8 percent, -9,300 jobs), Louisiana (-11.4 percent, -15,700 jobs) and New York.
Ten states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between August 2019 and August 2020, while construction employment was unchanged in Montana. Utah added the most new construction jobs (8,800 jobs, 8.0 percent), followed by Virginia (4,400 jobs, 2.2 percent), Maryland (3,800 jobs, 2.3 percent), Indiana (3,100 jobs, 2.1 percent) and Missouri (2,700 jobs, 2.1 percent). South Dakota added the highest percent (10.9 percent, 2,600 jobs), followed by Utah, Idaho (2.4 percent, 1,300 jobs); Maryland and Virginia.
California added the most new construction jobs (6,700 jobs, 0.8 percent) between July and August, followed by New York (5,200 jobs, 1.5 percent), Pennsylvania (4,100 jobs, 1.7 percent), Texas (3,300 jobs, 0.4 percent) and Oregon (3,200 jobs, 3.1 percent). New Mexico added the highest percentage (6.7 percent, 3,100) of jobs for the month, followed by Mississippi (3.4 percent, 1,400 jobs), Oregon and Kentucky (2.0 percent, 1,600 jobs).
Nineteen states lost construction jobs for the month with Nevada losing the most (-2,600 jobs, -2.8 percent). Other states losing a high number of construction jobs for the month include Florida (-2,200 jobs, -0.4 percent); Nebraska (-1,800 jobs, -3.3 percent) and North Carolina (-1,800 jobs, -0.8 percent). Hawaii lost the highest percentage (-3.5 percent, -1,300 jobs) of construction jobs for the month, followed by West Virginia (-3.3 percent, -1,100 jobs); Nebraska and Nevada.

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Markets

US importers face stricter rules under revamped S232 tariffs
“CBP expects full compliance from the trade community for accurate reporting and payment of the additional duties. CBP will take enforcement action on non-compliance," the agency said in a March 7 bulletin.

Steel exports rebound in January
US steel exports recovered to a five-month high in January after having fallen to a two-year low in December. This growth follows four consecutive months of declining exports.

Construction spending drops marginally in January
Construction spending edged down slightly in January, slipping for the first time in four months. The US Census Bureau estimated spending at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,196 billion in January, down 0.2% from December’s downward revised rate. The January figure is 3.3% higher than a year ago. January’s result, despite the slight erosion, […]

HVAC equipment shipments slow in December but strong annually
Shipments of heating and cooling equipment in the US fell to an 11-month low in December, according to the latest data released by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

Apparent steel supply rebounds in December, but 2024 total at 4-year low
Apparent US steel supply rebounded in December, but 2024 was still the lowest level for supply since 2020.