PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island ranked 47th in the nation for its lack of construction job growth over the year in December, according to the Associated General Contractors, which released data Tuesday.
Rhode Island had 16,500 construction jobs in December, 100 fewer than in December 2014, a 0.6 percent decline. It was one of only six states that saw construction employment drop over the year, the association said.
Comparing November and December, however, the Ocean State fared much better, placing second among the states and Washington, D.C. for its 1,000 job gain, a 6.5 percent increase, lagging only West Virginia, which placed first on the list with a 9.9 percent jump in job growth. Rhode Island was one of 39 states that had month-over-month construction job growth, the association said.
Pennsylvania lost the most construction jobs over the month at 2,500, the association said.
Year over year, the state with the highest percentage of new construction jobs was Hawaii at 15.5 percent, while North Dakota had the lowest, reporting an 8.1 percent decline. North Dakota also lost the largest number of construction jobs over the year at 3,000.
California added the most construction jobs over the year at 59,300, and over the month at 11,200.
“Considering the fact construction employment is expanding in most parts of the country, it is easy to understand why many contractors are optimistic about 2016,” Stephen E. Sandherr, association CEO, said in a statement. “Yet the question all of us would like to answer is whether the broader market turmoil will drag down demand for construction this year.”
