Construction Sector Welcomed 11,000 More Jobs in July

Nonfarm employment increased across 47 states in June, but the construction sector did not experience such widespread worker growth. Just three states saw a dip in employment from June to July, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Texas, California, and North Carolina posted the highest increases in employment for June, reports the National Association of Home Builders. For the construction sector, 29 states reported an increase and 17 saw a dip. Overall, the industry gained 11,000 jobs in July compared to June.

Kansas and Tennessee reported no change. North Carolina added 4,300 construction jobs while Colorado lost 1,600. Overall, the construction industry gained 11,000 jobs in July compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, New Jersey increased by 2.7% while New Hampshire reported a decline of 2.2% between June and July.

Year-over-year, construction sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 224,000, which is a 3.1% increase compared to the July 2020 level. California added 39,900 jobs, which was the largest gain of any state, while New York lost 3,600 jobs, which was the largest decline. In percentage terms, Rhode Island had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector by 15.1%. Over this period, Wyoming reported the largest decline at 4.3%.

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