Construction employment declined in 10 out of 13 North Carolina metropolitan areas between June 2011 and June 2012 according to an analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that construction employment declined or remained unchanged in most US in most metro areas as the public sector continued to cut back on investments in new construction and infrastructure and economic growth slowed. NC lost 4,900 construction jobs (-3 percent) since June 2011.
The largest NC construction job losses were in Wilmington (-2,000 jobs, -20 percent), followed by Virginia Beach-Tidewater (-3,100 jobs, -5 percent) and Durham-Chapel Hill (-400 jobs, -4 percent).
Greensboro-High Point added the highest percentage of new construction jobs (4 percent, 500 jobs), followed by Winston-Salem (4 percent, 300 jobs) and Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill (2 percent, 900 jobs). Seven other NC metro areas lost between 1 % and 4% of their construction jobs over the year-to-year period.
Association officials said they were becoming increasingly concerned that a combination of slower private sector growth and declining public sector construction investments will continue to undermine construction employment for months to come. They urged officials in Washington to act quickly to eliminate uncertainty about future tax rates and to pass long-delayed water and other infrastructure measures.
View construction employment figures by state here