Mixed news for NC construction
employment - Triad/Triangle
grows, while Charlotte declines
North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Construction spending rose 4.1 percent from Novem-
ber 2018 to November 2019, while industry employment
grew in 226, or 63 percent, of 358 metro areas, accord-
ing to a new analysis of federal data recently released by
the Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA).

Association officials noted that its recent survey
found most contractors are optimistic about the dollar
value of projects available and expect to keep adding
workers in 2020, but they are finding it hard to fill posi-
tions and anticipate it will continue to be hard to hire em-
ployees. North Carolina reported mixed results, with communi-
ties in the Triad area reporting significant growth, while
the metropolitan Charlotte area reported a 3 percent de-
cline, or 1,900 employees. (The Virginia Beach-Norfolk-
Newport Beach area includes some suburbs within
North Carolina, and this community saw a massive 12
percent employment increase, making it the eighth
largest growth area in the country.)
“Both the actual spending totals for November and
our members’ expectations for 2020 point to a continu-
ing uptick in construction employment,” said Ken Simon-
son, the association’s chief economist. “It’s likely that
even more metros would have added workers recently if
unemployment weren’t at record lows in many areas.”
Construction spending totalled $1.324 trillion at a sea-
sonally adjusted annual rate in November, up 0.6 percent
from October and up 4.1 percent from November 2018,
according to estimates the U.S. Census Bureau released.

There were year-over-year increases in all major seg-
ments—public, private residential and private nonresi-
dential. The Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas metro area added the
most construction jobs during the past year (15,400
jobs, 10 percent), followed by Las Vegas-Henderson-Par-
adise, Nev. (11,000 jobs, 17 percent). Las Vegas-Hender-
son-Paradise had the largest percentage increase,
followed by 15-percent gains in Omaha-Council Bluffs,
Neb.-Iowa (4,500 jobs), Sioux Falls, S.D. (1,300 jobs) and
Auburn-Opelika, Ala. (400 jobs). Construction employ-
ment set a new high for November in 71 metro areas
and a new November low in six areas.

From November 2018 to November 2019, construc-
tion employment fell in 77 metros and was flat in 55.

The largest declines occurred in New York City (-6,900
jobs, -4 percent) and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario,
Calif. (-4,300 jobs, -4 percent). The largest percentage
decreases took place in Danville, Ill. (-17 percent, -100
jobs), Fairbanks, Alaska (-12 percent, -300 jobs) and Hart-
ford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn. (-11 percent, -
2,300 jobs).

Here is data for some North Carolina communities, including suburban areas overlapping other states.

(Numbers are employment totals in Nov. 2018, Nov. 2019, the percentage change, the number of employees added (lost) and the national ranking.)
employment totals employment totals
in Nov. 2018
in Nov. 2019
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Asheville, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Greenville, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Winston-Salem, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Raleigh, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Wilmington, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Burlington, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Fayetteville, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Greensboro-High Point, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Rocky Mount, NC Mining, Logging, and Construction
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Mining, Logging, and Construction
4 — JAN/FEB 2020 — The North Carolina Construction News
37,700 10,000
3,500 11,000
39,800 4,300
10,600 8,800
8,600 2,900
5,800 15,700
2600 64,600
42,400 10,600
3,700 11,500
41,400 4,400
10,800 8,900
8,700 2,900
5,800 15,700
2600 62,700
Percentage Change
12% 6%
6% 5%
4% 2%
2% 1%
1% 0%
0% 0%
0% -3%
# of National
Employees Ranking
added 4,700
600 200
500 1,600
100 200
100 100
0 0
0 0
-1,900 8
56 56
89 119
183 183
210 210
227 227
227 227
313