Construction employment in the Lone Star State hit a record high in 2018, up 6.4 percent, adding the most jobs in the sector in the nation, 46,800.
In the last two months of 2018, Texas added 4,500 jobs despite the industry norm of slowing down in November and December. Of construction firms surveyed for the Associated General Contractors of America's hiring outlook, four of five say they are having trouble filling open positions, and roughly 66 percent anticipate it will be as hard or harder to hire workers in 2019, The Houston Chronicle reports.
"The construction industry ended 2018 in good shape in nearly all parts of the country, and contractors are optimistic about the volume of work available in 2019," Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist, said in an emailed statement. "But finding workers to execute those projects is likely to be a major challenge."
PB Topical Ref
