New AGC Analysis: Construction Employment Declines Nationwide

• LeeAnn Maton
• June 15, 2009

Construction employment figures have fallen across nearly all major metropolitan areas in the past year, according to a new analysis of data by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Compiled from government data, AGC's analysis found that construction employment was down almost 13% in the Chicagoland area from April 2008 to April 2009, representing a loss of around 25,000 jobs.  

A few areas around Illinois and across the country saw modest employment gains--up 5.7 percent in Decatur while the Davenport area saw a 3.4 percent rise. However, the overwhelming trend showed that 288 of the country's biggest 311 metro areas experienced serious job losses this year, as deep as 20 to 30% in some hard-hit areas.

"Job loss figures like these are exactly what prompted Congress and the Administration to craft a stimulus package designed to get Americans back to work as quickly as possible," said AGC chief economist Ken Simonson, who put together the analysis. "Putting these funds to good use as quickly as possible is the best way to get Americans back to work and the economy back on track."