Construction employment at highest level since 2009, says AGC
Construction employers added 29,000 jobs in February 2015 and 321,000 over the past year, reaching the highest employment total in six years, as the sector's unemployment rate fell to an eight-year low of 10.6%, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned, however, that construction jobs in the highway and transit sector were at risk because of Washington gridlock.
"Despite challenging weather conditions in much of the country, both the number of workers and their average weekly hours rose last month to the highest levels since the recession," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "There are lots of good-paying, full-time jobs available in construction, with more work on the way."