N.C. loses construction jobs in monthly, yearly comparisons

North Carolina lost 1,700 construction jobs from July to August, and even more when compared to August 2012, according to a report released Monday by the Associated General Contractors of America and based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor.

N.C. in August had a total of 167,000 construction jobs, down 1 percent from the 168,700 construction jobs the AGC reported in both June and July. N.C. was one of 22 states, as well as the District of Columbia, to lose jobs month over month.

The state also was one of fourteen, as well as the District of Columbia, to lose jobs last month over August 2012. N.C. construction jobs decreased by 2.1 percent in August 2013 compared to the same month last year, when the state had 170,500 of those jobs.

South Dakota had the largest one-month gain, up 1,300 jobs in August over July, according to the AGC report. California had the largest gain from August 2012 to last month, up 29,100 jobs. Even though the majority of states gained construction jobs on the year, AGC officials said the industry needs to see more growth.

“While we would all like to see even more robust growth, it is encouraging that most states have a larger construction workforce today than they did a year ago,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO of the AGC. “It will take a lot more growth, however, before construction employment levels return to their pre-recession levels in most places.”