Construction Employment Gains Remain Spotty in July

Construction employment continued its spotty improvement in July, as more states posted year-over-year gains but most states posted decreases compared with June, according to an analysis by AGC of America of Labor Department data. Association officials said the steady improvement in employment in many states was welcome news, but cautioned that the industry's recovery was still fragile. "Today's report shows the fragile and fragmentary nature of the industry's recovery," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "Construction employment increased in 37 states during the past 12 months—the largest number with gains since early last year—but only two states have surpassed their pre-recession peaks, and barely a third of states added construction jobs between June and July." Read the full press release here.