Scrap Prices North America

AGC: Most Cities Added Construction Jobs in January

Written by David Schollaert

March 19, 2023

More than three-quarters of US metro areas added construction jobs year-over-year (YoY) through January, according to Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) figures. Despite the employment boost, construction firms struggled to find enough qualified workers to hire, the report said.

construction2The report cautioned that projects may stall or be canceled altogether if contractors lack an available skilled labor force. AGC called on Washington to make hiring foreign workers easier to support expected growth, particularly in infrastructure, manufacturing, and renewable energy-related projects.

“This report shows construction has been growing nearly everywhere, with jobs being added in 85% of metro areas,” AGC chief economist Ken Simonson said. “Despite a decline in homebuilding, contractors in many markets are likely to have trouble finding enough workers to undertake more projects.”

Construction employment increased in 306, or 85%, of 358 metro areas between January 2022 and January 2023.

Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas added the most construction jobs (13,600 jobs, or a 9% increase), followed by Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas., Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz., Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga., and Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev.

Construction jobs declined YoY through January in 29 metro areas and were unchanged in 23 areas. The largest loss occurred in Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, Calif. (-6,200 jobs, -8%), followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.

AGC continues to urge Congress to focus on immigration reform and to boost investments in construction-focused training and education programs.

“We are doing our best to attract and retain a new set of construction professionals,” AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr said. “Public officials can help put more people into high-paying construction careers by enacting targeted immigration reforms and investing in construction prep programs.”

Editor’s note: Don’t forget to register for our Community Chat webinar with AGC CEO Ken Simonson on Wednesday, March 22, at 11 am ET. You can do that here.

By David Schollaert, david@steelmarketupdate.com

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. Based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office, David can be reached at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

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