Construction firms add 19,000 jobs in November, says AGC
Construction employers added 19,000 jobs in November, reaching the highest employment level since November 2008, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials also said a drop in public sector investments in construction projects held down employment among heavy and civil engineering firms, and noted that recent construction spending numbers show a decline in most categories of infrastructure investment.
"This report shows the construction industry has the capacity to handle additional infrastructure work even as private nonresidential projects, apartments, and homebuilding continue to go up," said Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. "The industry would be adding more high-paid jobs if local, state, and federal officials were investing more to build new and repair aging infrastructure."