Louisiana construction employment increased 7.2 percent over the last year IBM Update August 2014 Though nationally construction employment gains have been uneven by month and state, Louisiana managed to add 7.2 percent more construction jobs between August 2013 and August 2014, and 0.8 percent over the last month. (Renita D. Young, NOLA | The Times-Picayune) Print Renita D. Young, NOLA | The Times Picayune By Renita D. Young, NOLA | The Times Picayune Email the author | Follow on Twitter on September 19, 2014 at 12:47 PM, updated September 19, 2014 at 12:57 PM 0 Reddit Baton Rouge on the go @brnola on Twitter Find us on Facebook Connect with a Baton Rouge reporter Breaking news text alerts Smartphone? Our responsive design makes it easier than ever! Sign up for Baton Rouge newsletters Though nationally construction employment gains have been uneven by month and state, Louisiana managed to add 7.2 percent more construction jobs between August 2013 and August 2014, and 0.8 percent over the last month. Labor Department data analyzed by the Associated General Contractors of America show numerous new projects drove Louisiana to add 9,500 construction jobs over the last year, ranking the state seventh in percentage increase. From July 2014 to August 2014, Louisiana added 1,100 more construction jobs to the industry for a total of 140,600 construction jobs in the state in August 2014. Construction firms added jobs in 36 states between August 2013 and August 2014 while construction employment increased in 28 states between July and August. Florida added the most new construction jobs, 43,500, an 11.8 percent increase between August 2013 and August 2014. New Jersey was one of 12 states that shed the highest percentage and total of construction jobs in the last 12 months. Though New Jersey lost 11,300 construction jobs at an 8.1 percent decline, it still measured 127,400 construction jobs for August 2014. The number of states with increases in construction employment over the last 12 months moderated in August but remained strongly positive as construction activity continues to spread across most of the nation, said Ken Simonson, the associations chief economist. While most states remain far below pre-recession peak employment levels, more states are approaching previous highs and more contractors have been reporting difficulty in hiring qualified workers. These trends are likely to intensify if the recovery in construction continues. Twenty-eight states added construction jobs between July and August, with California adding the most, 13,600 jobs, a 1.5 percent increase. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia lost construction jobs for the month, while construction employment was unchanged in Arizona. Ohio lost the most construction jobs, 3,500, a 1.9 percent decline, between July and August. Association officials say gains were welcome news, but continued to urge elected and appointment officials to act on measures outlined in the associations workforce development plan. Labor shortages are likely to become more severe without a better pipeline for preparing new workers, said Stephen E. Sandherr, the associations chief executive officer. View U.S. employment data by rank and state. . . . . . . . Renita D. Young is a business reporter based in Baton Rouge. Email her at ryoung@nola or call 504.352.2548. You can also keep up with all of her local updates on Twitter @RenitaDYoung and through NOLA Baton Rouge on Facebook.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 12:47:41 +0000
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