Baton Rouge is one of 19 U.S. metro areas that actually added construction jobs in April, compared to the year before. There were 2,900 more construction jobs in the Capital Region than there were in April 2008, a 7.3% increase, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. That made Baton Rouge the second-biggest gainer in the country; only Odessa, Texas, had a bigger percentage of construction jobs, growing by 8%. Shreveport-Bossier City and Lafayette also added construction jobs, while New Orleans was unchanged. AGC economists say the figures show the need to get federal stimulus money distributed to states and local governments. The unemployment rate in the construction industry was 18.7% nationwide, compared with the national unemployment rate of 8.6%. Several cities saw the number of construction jobs drop by 30% or more year to year, including Pascagoula, Miss., and Redding, Calif.
B.R. one of few metro areas to add construction jobs
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