Construction employment increased in 268 or 75 percent of 358 metro areas between October 2021 and October 2022, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials noted, however, that job vacancies outpaced hiring as construction firms struggle to find enough qualified workers to hire.
“While three out of four metros added construction jobs in the past year, gains would have been even more widespread if contractors could find enough qualified workers,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Job openings at the end of September topped the number of construction employees hired all month, implying that contractors wanted to hire more than twice as many workers as they were able to find.”