Steel Products
AGC: Construction Employment in August
Written by Sandy Williams
September 23, 2018
Forty-five states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between August 2017 and August 2018, while 33 states added construction jobs between July and August, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of data from the Labor Department.
“Only three states experienced a decline in construction employment over the past year, the fewest number with a decrease since May 2015,” said chief economist Ken Simonson. “These results show that contractors still expect to have plenty of work in the months ahead. The question many in the industry are asking is whether they will be able to find enough workers to keep pace with demand.”
Texas added the most construction jobs during the past year (56,100 jobs, 7.9 percent). Other states adding a large number of new construction jobs for the past 12 months include California (40,400 jobs, 5.0 percent), Florida (39,300 jobs, 7.7 percent), Georgia (18,900 jobs, 10.4 percent), Arizona (14,900 jobs, 10.2 percent) and Michigan (14,600 jobs, 8.9 percent). New Hampshire added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year (11.3 percent, 3,000 jobs), followed by Nevada (11.2 percent, 9,300 jobs), Georgia, Arizona, Oregon (9.2 percent, 9,100 jobs) and Michigan. Construction employment reached a record high in five states: Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
Only three states shed construction jobs between August 2017 and 2018, while construction employment was unchanged in Alaska and Pennsylvania. The largest and steepest percentage losses occurred in New Jersey (-6,600 jobs, -4.2 percent), followed by Kentucky (-2,600 jobs, -3.4 percent) and Missouri (-1,000 jobs, -0.8 percent).
{loadposition reserved_message}
California had the largest one-month job gain (5,200 jobs, 0.6 percent) among the 33 states that added construction jobs between July and August, followed by Florida (3,600 jobs, 0.7 percent) and Washington (2,900 jobs, 1.4 percent). North Dakota added the highest percentage of construction jobs for the month (2.6 percent, 700 jobs), followed by five states with a 1.4 percent increase: Washington, Minnesota (1,700 jobs), Iowa (1,100 jobs), Montana (400 jobs) and New Hampshire (400 jobs).
From July to August, construction employment declined in 15 states and D.C., but was unchanged in Alaska and Delaware. Pennsylvania lost the most construction jobs (-1,900, -0.7 percent), followed by Kentucky (-1,400 jobs, -1.8 percent) and Illinois (-1,200 jobs, -0.5 percent). Kentucky lost the highest percentage of construction jobs in August, followed by Arkansas (-1.1 percent, -600 jobs), Pennsylvania and Maine (-0.7 percent, -200 jobs).

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Steel Products
CRU: Excessive global supply could hit rebar mill investments in US
Following the onset of the war in Ukraine in March 2022, concerns about import availability and expectations of rising demand from President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill pushed US rebar prices to record highs. In response, a flurry of new mills and capacity expansions were announced to meet the rise in demand from growth in the construction […]

Steel buyer spirits tempered by soft spot market conditions
Steel sheet buyers report feeling bogged down by the ongoing stresses of stagnant demand, news fatigue, tariff negotiations or implementation timelines, and persistent macroeconomic uncertainty.

CRU: US stainless prices to rise on expanded S232 tariffs
Stainless prices in the US market will rise, following price increases by major US producers. Our base case scenario incorporates higher US prices in the near term, despite the initial negative reaction by the market. US stainless prices will go up in 2025 H2 and will stay elevated in 2026 as tariffs on stainless […]

Galvanized steel demand unsteady amid lingering buyer fatigue: HARDI
Uneven demand for galvanized steel in June reflects a market that remains mired in uncertainty, according to industry sources.

OCTG industry salutes Customs for catching trade crooks
The US OCTG Manufacturers Association is commending US Customs for intercepting another Thai company's attempt to illegally transship Chinese oil pipe to the US.