B.R. construction employment rises 9% in April

According to a new analysis of federal employment data by the Associated General Contractors of America, Baton Rouge had roughly 3,400 more people employed in the construction industry in April than it did during the month a year ago—a 9% increase. That makes Baton Rouge the 27th-strongest metro in the United States for industry hiring during April, according to AGCA rankings. Roughly 43,000 people were working in construction in the Capital Region in April, up from 39,600 a year previous. Todd Waguespack, a partner with Level Construction homebuilders, says he’s more confident about local market conditions than he has been in years. “It’s definitely a lot more consistent than it’s been in a long, long time,” he says. “The past few years, we’ve sporadically gone from some pretty hot months to some really cold ones, but I think we’re going to continue to improve the rest of this year and be fairly stable.” About half of the metro areas in the United States—157 of 337—saw year-over-year construction job losses in April. Of the six metro areas in Louisiana tracked by AGCA, just two saw losses: Shreveport (down 600 jobs, or -8%) and New Orleans (down 4,600 jobs, or -14%). New Orleans’ losses were among the worst in the nation, placing it No. 329 in the rankings. With a gain of 900 jobs, or 14%, Lafayette had the eighth-strongest job gains in April. See the AGCA’s complete rankings for metro construction employment gains here. —Steve Sanoski