Construction employment increased in 180, or exactly 50 percent, of 360 metro areas between May 2024 and May 2025, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials said the construction employment growth has stalled in many parts of the country amid growing uncertainty about tax, tariff and labor policy.
“Only half of metro areas experienced a year-over-year gain in construction jobs—the fewest since March 2021,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “This appears to support other indications that investors and developers are delaying or canceling planned projects until they know how severely they’ll be affected by evolving tariff and workforce policies.”
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