Just 184, or 51 percent, of the nation’s metro areas added construction jobs between July 2024 and July 2025, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials said a survey of their members to be released on Thursday shows many contractors want to hire more workers but cannot find enough applicants with adequate training or credentials.
“Construction employment has stalled or retreated in many areas for a variety of reasons,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But contractors report they would hire more people if only they could find more qualified and willing workers and tougher immigration enforcement wasn’t disrupting labor supplies.”
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