Construction Employment Below Pre-Pandemic Levels In 21 States and D.C.

Construction employment remains below pre-pandemic levels in 21 states and D.C. while 29 states now employ more construction workers than in February 2020, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the new figures underscore how spiking materials prices and tight labor markets are undermining the sector’s recovery.

“Employment has risen in most of the nation over the past year, but contractors are having an increasingly hard time finding all the workers they need as unemployment hits record lows in more states,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “The scramble for workers is likely to drive wages and overtime costs even higher at the same time rising materials prices are cutting into already tight margins.”