Construction Employment On The Rise

38 states added new construction jobs between March 2018 and March 2019. 29 Other states saw construction employment increases between February 2019 and March 2019, according to Labor Department data that was released on April 19, 2019. The widespread gains show demand for construction workers continues to rise. Officials say there is a shortage of available construction workers. Industry experts are urging federal officials to enact immigration reforms in order to boost the labor supply.

"Although construction has added jobs in many states at a higher rate than the private sector as a whole in the past year, the record number of job openings at the end of February shows contractors would add even more workers if they could," stated chief economist Ken Simonson. "There is no sign of a let-up in the demand for construction workers."

Here's the breakdown of states that added the most jobs between March 2019 and March 2019:

Texas : 28,300 jobs, 3.9% increase
California : 24,500 jobs, 2.9% increase
Florida : 24,100 jobs, 4.5% increase
Arizona : 16,800 jobs, 10.8% increase
West Virginia : 15,800 jobs, 44.6% increase

Here's the breakdown of states that added the most jobs on a percentage basis during the same period:

West Virginia : 44.6% increase, 15,800 jobs
Nevada : 14.2% increase, 12,400 jobs
Wyoming : 11.6% increase, 2,300 jobs
Alaska : 10.9% increase, 1,700 jobs
Arizona : 10.8% increase, 16,800 jobs

11 States lost jobs over the past 12 months. The largest losses were in:

Louisiana : -7,900 jobs, -5.2% decrease
Illinois : -4,700 jobs, -2.1% decrease
South Carolina : -4,400 jobs, -4.2% decrease
Missouri : -4,300 jobs, -3.5% decrease

Officials say there are a record number of job openings in the construction sector.

"Contractors are struggling to find enough qualified workers to hire in order to keep pace with the ongoing demand for construction," said Stephen E. Sandherr, of the Associated General Contractors of America. "Allowing employers to bring in guest workers for positions that can't be filled otherwise will help keep the economy expanding."

You can read the full employment report here.