R.I. adds 700 construction jobs over year, ranks 13th in country

RHODE ISLAND'S 4.8 PERCENT year-over-year increase in construction jobs for December landed the Ocean State 13th in the country, adding 700 jobs. On a monthly basis, Rhode Island lost 400 construction jobs between November and December, a decline of 2.5 percent. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/TIM BOYLE
RHODE ISLAND'S 4.8 PERCENT year-over-year increase in construction jobs for December landed the Ocean State 13th in the country, adding 700 jobs. On a monthly basis, Rhode Island lost 400 construction jobs between November and December, a decline of 2.5 percent. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/TIM BOYLE

ARLINGTON, Va. – Construction employment in Rhode Island rose 4.8 percent in December compared with the same period last year, adding 700 jobs for a total of 15,400 jobs, the Associated General Contractors of America reported on Jan. 28.

Rhode Island ranked 13th among the U.S. states and Washington, D.C., for highest percentage of jobs gained between December 2012 and December 2013.

Massachusetts, which added 3,500 jobs, or 3 percent, since December of last year, ranked 20th. Construction jobs in the Bay State totaled 119,100 in December, the AGC reported.

On a year-over-year basis, 34 states experienced growth in construction jobs through the end of 2013. Mississippi led the country with an 18 percent increase, adding 8,500 jobs, followed by Connecticut with an increase of 11.6 percent, or 5,800 jobs, and Florida, with an increase of 8.4 percent, or 28,800 jobs.

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On a monthly basis, between November and December, the AGC noted that construction employment decreased in 32 states and the District of Columbia. In Rhode Island, the industry experienced a 2.5 percent decline in construction employment over the month, a loss of 400 jobs.

Massachusetts posted a loss of 1,300 construction jobs between November and December, a decrease of 1.1 percent.

“While the year-over-year numbers are encouraging, we want to make sure the monthly declines are more about the weather than they are a sudden downturn in demand,” said Ken Simonson, the AGC’s chief economist. “While we will have to wait for more data to understand where the market is heading, the industry could certainly benefit from more private-sector activity and public-sector investments.”

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