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Construction employment edged up by 2,000 jobs between March and April as contractors scrambled to find workers in an increasingly tight labor market, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data.
Spending on most categories of nonresidential and multifamily construction declined from February to March as contractors struggled to find enough workers and get timely deliveries of materials, according to an analysis the Associated General Contractors of America. “Contractors continue to report strong demand for most types of structures, with few owners canceling or postponing planned projects,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But worker shortages and supply-chain problems, from lockdowns in China to the war in Ukraine, are slowing project completions.”
Spending on most categories of nonresidential and multifamily construction declined from February to March as contractors struggled to find enough workers and get timely deliveries...
Construction employment increased in three-fourths of U.S. metro areas between March 2021 and March 2022, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. “It is heartening to see construction employment come back from the depths of pandemic-induced job losses in most areas,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a prepared statement. “But the skyrocketing number of job openings shows the industry needs far more workers than are available in many parts of the country.”
The construction industry is in the midst of a period of exceptionally steep and fast-rising costs for a variety of materials, compounded by supply-chain disruptions and difficulty finding enough workers, which could threaten the financial health of many contractors.