Construction employment drops in R.I., Providence metro in July

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT dropped 5 percent in the Providence-Fall River-Warwick area in July. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/TIM BOYLE
CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT dropped 5 percent in the Providence-Fall River-Warwick area in July. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/TIM BOYLE

ARLINGTON, Va. – Construction employment in Rhode Island decreased by 5 percent year over year in July, according to the Association for Corporate Growth. The state lost about 800 construction jobs, falling from 17,200 to 16,400.
At the same time, the Providence-Fall River-Warwick metropolitan area saw a construction employment decrease of 3 percent in the last year. The metro area lost about 600 jobs, falling from 21,300 to 20,700.
Nationwide, 201 out of 339 metropolitan areas saw an increase in construction industry employment from July 2012 to July 2013. The Providence metro area was one of 90 to see a net decrease in construction jobs, the report said. Providence ranked 269th in net growth of the 339 metro areas.
New Bedford added 200 construction jobs, increasing from 2,500 to 2,700 and ranking 58th nationwide.
The Boston metro area ranked second nationwide by adding about 8,400 jobs, or about 15 percent to its workforce. Statewide, Massachusetts saw an increase of 5 percent in construction jobs in the last year, according to the report.
The Houston metro area added 13,000 new construction jobs, putting it at the top of the list.
The national numbers are indicative of the tenuous economic recovery, the Association for Corporate Growth said.
“Construction employment in many metro areas appears to be benefiting from a steady growth in demand for private-sector construction projects, especially for residential construction,” the Association said in a press release. “But … construction spending and employment levels are still 25 percent below peak levels from 2006 and that public sector demand for construction remains relatively weak.”

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  1. For a more detailed analysis of this subject; go to http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm Scroll down to “Rhode Island ” U6 Unemployment rate; Second Quarter 2013: FIFTEEN POINT NINE PER CENT (15.9%)….