The AEC Lens Alex Carrick, Chief Economist at ConstructConnect
Alex Carrick is Chief Economist for ConstructConnect. He is a frequent contributor to the Daily Commercial News and the Journal of Commerce. He has delivered presentations throughout North America on the Canadian, United States and world construction outlooks. A trusted and often-quoted source for … More » Construction Jobs Regionally by Level and Change, U.S. and CanadaDecember 6th, 2018 by Alex Carrick, Chief Economist at ConstructConnect
Tables 1 through 3 accompanying this article detail the latest (October 2018) statistics on construction employment regionally in the U.S. and Canada. Table 1 is a ranking of states, D.C. and Puerto Rico for the U.S. and provinces and territories for Canada by construction employment levels. Table 2 is a ranking of states, D.C. and Puerto Rico for the U.S. and provinces and territories for Canada according to year-over-year (y/y) nominal changes in construction employment levels. Table 3 is a ranking of states, D.C. and Puerto Rico for the U.S. and provinces and territories for Canada by y/y percentage changes in number of construction jobs. With respect to number of construction jobs (Table 1), the four most populous states in America are the frontrunners. California (874,000) is in first place, followed by Texas (774,000), Florida (553,000) and New York (415,000). After New York, there’s a sizable step down to fifth-place Pennsylvania (266,000). There are six other states with construction levels exceeding 200,000 – Illinois (243,000); Ohio (238,000); North Carolina (222,000); Washington (218,000); Georgia (+207,000); and Virginia (206,000). (By the way, how populous are California, Texas, N.Y. and Florida? Combined, they account for the residences of one out of every three Americans.) In Canada, Ontario (529,000 construction jobs) leads the pack by a wide margin. There is little separation, however, between the next three highest-ranking provinces – Quebec (253,000); Alberta (249,000) and British Columbia (237,000). If one were to compare states and provinces, Ontario would be positioned in fourth spot, a little behind Florida but considerably ahead of New York. Table 1: U.S. and Canadian Construction Employment
Figures for Delaware, D.C. and Hawaii include mining & logging as well as construction.
Data for Canada’s northern territories is not available. Data sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics & Statistics Canada (14-10-0355-01).
Table: ConstructConnect. Moving on to Table 2, Texas (+54,000) has managed the biggest increase in number of construction jobs y/y, followed by Florida (+49,000) and California (+36,000). But Georgia (+21,000) and Arizona (+17,000) have surpassed New York (+15,000). Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Kentucky have experienced minor drops of less than one thousand in construction employment. New Jersey, though, has seen a substantial decline (-6,900). In Canada, Quebec (+6,500) has been the winner in nominal jobs creation, with B.C. (+5,400) in hot pursuit. Ontario’s performance (+1,200) has been relatively anemic. Table 2: U.S. and Canadian Nominal Change in Construction Employment
Figures for Delaware, D.C. and Hawaii include mining & logging as well as construction.
Data for Canada’s northern territories is not available. Data sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics & Statistics Canada (14-10-0355-01).
Table: ConstructConnect. From Table 3, there have been four states with double-digit y/y percentage jumps in construction employment – Georgia (+11.5%); Arizona (+11.4%); Nevada and New Hampshire (each +11.1%). Table 3 includes a couple of extra features, − two horizontal lines, one dashed and the other solid. The jurisdictions lying above the dashed line have recorded percentage increases faster than for the whole construction sector nationwide (+4.7%). The jurisdictions ‘north’ of the solid line have achieved percentage-change construction jobs growth that has been more rapid than the country-wide all-jobs advance of +1.7%. (‘All jobs’ is for construction, manufacturing and a multitude of services-related activities.) To better see the dichotomy between jurisdictions above and below the solid vertical line, click on the following link, which will lead you to two maps – “Maps – Georgia Best and New Jersey Worst for Construction Jobs Growth“. In Canada, the regional percentage increases in construction employment have been nowhere near as outsized as in the U.S. Quebec (+2.6%) has done best, followed by B.C. (+2.3%) and Alberta (+1.1%). Ontario (+0.2%), apparently wishing to take a breather, has stepped out of the parade. Manitoba (-3.3%) has packed up its gym bag and gone home for a nap. Table 3: U.S. and Canadian % Change in Construction Employment
In the U.S. table, numbers above dashed line are higher than U.S. total construction jobs change of +4.7%.Numbers above solid horizontal line are higher than U.S. ‘all-jobs’ change of +1.7%.
Figures for Delaware, D.C. and Hawaii include mining & logging as well as construction. Data for Canada’s northern territories is not available. Tags: Alex Carrick, build, ConstructConnect, Construction, Construction industry, Construction services, Economic, Economics, Economist Category: ConstructConnect |