Calling the current state of the housing industry a "construction depression," the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has released another sobering set of statistics
showing how bad things are for the economy. Construction, one of the key sectors to any economic recovery, continued to bleed jobs in 2009 from all parts of the country.
In 313 out of 337 metropolitan areas, the number of construction jobs shrunk last year, according to AGC.Only nine of the 337 actually saw construction growth. Phoenix, Arizona, was again the hardest hit in terms of number of jobs lost (27,600), while Steubenville, Ohio, and Weirton, West Virginia, experienced the largest percentage decline in construction employment (44%, 1,600 jobs). Other hard-hit cities were Grand Junction, Colorado (34%, 3,400 jobs); Las Vegas, Nevada (32%, 24,500 jobs); Napa, California (32%, 1,100 jobs); and Santa Cruz, California (31%, 1,100 jobs.)
"It's difficult to imagine that many regions will bounce back when so many construction workers are unemployed," said Ken Simonson, AGC's chief economist. "Worse, with virtually every city suffering significant construction job losses, there's nowhere to hide from what is clearly a construction depression."
Leading the small groups of areas that experienced job growth were Eau Claire, Wisconsin (23%, 500 jobs) and Ithaca, New York (9%, 100 jobs).
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Only 9 Out of 337 Metropolitan Areas Add Construction Jobs between January 2009 and 2010 as Industry Pain Continues (Associated General Contractors of America)
State List of Construction Employment by Metropolitan Area or Division, January 2009 - January 2010 (Associated General Contractors of America) (pdf)
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