R.I. ranks 42nd for February construction job growth

RHODE ISLAND ADDED 200 jobs in February compared with the prior year period, according to data from Associated general Contractors of America. Above, Mike Rothermal of Caldwell and Johnson Custom Builders, cuts trim on a construction site in Jamestown. / PBN FILE PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY
RHODE ISLAND ADDED 200 jobs in February compared with the prior year period, according to data from Associated general Contractors of America. Above, Mike Rothermal of Caldwell and Johnson Custom Builders, cuts trim on a construction site in Jamestown. / PBN FILE PHOTO/KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

PROVIDENCE – Construction employment increased in 45 states, including Rhode Island, as well as in Washington, D.C., in February compared with the previous year, according to Associated General Contractors of America.
Rhode Island construction firms added 200 jobs in February, bringing the job total to 16,500, an increase of 1.2 percent compared with the prior year period, ranking it 42nd nationwide.
Texas added more new construction jobs (44,600 jobs, 7 percent) between February 2014 and February 2015 than any other state. Other states that added a high number of new construction jobs over the past 12 months included California (43,400 jobs, 6.5 percent) and Florida (29,600 jobs, 7.7 percent). North Dakota (14.7 percent, 4,800 jobs) added the highest percentage of new construction jobs during the past year, followed by Idaho (14.3 percent, 5,000 jobs).
Four states shed construction jobs during the past 12 months; construction employment was unchanged in Delaware. Mississippi lost the highest percentage and total number of jobs (-4,400 jobs, -8.7 percent). Other states that lost construction jobs for the year were Indiana (-1,500 jobs, -1.2 percent), West Virginia (-700 jobs, -2.1 percent) and Maine (-300 jobs, -1.2 percent.)

Association officials said that growing labor, funding and regulatory challenges could affect future job gains.
“Construction employment continues to recover in many parts of the country even as some markets have a hard time stabilizing,” Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, said in a statement.

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