Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C.,
experienced double-digit drops in construction employment, officials said.
Any
flickers of encouragement in the nation’s overall unemployment level don’t
appear to be helping construction workers, according to figures released Wednesday.
Construction
employment between January 2009 and January 2010 dropped in all states and
Washington, D.C., the Associated General Contractors of America reported. Thirty-eight
states and Washington, D.C., experienced double-digit drops in construction employment,
officials said.
“Construction employment is dropping everywhere and
plummeting almost everywhere,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief
economist. “Looking at this data, it is quite clear that the construction
industry has yet to hit bottom.”
Overall, Simonson said, California lost the most jobs - 128,700.
On a percentage basis, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and Florida lost the
most construction-related positions. All posted drops greater than 20 percent.
