Baton Rouge lost 1,000 construction jobs in June, according to an analysis of new government data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Local construction employment totaled 41,500 last month, a 2% dip from May, leading Baton Rouge to rank 334th out of the 358 U.S. metro areas studied, tied with 11 other metros.
Today’s employment figures also reflect a 15% year-over-year drop in construction employment, with Baton Rouge losing 7,100 jobs in total between June 2019 and June 2020. Baton Rouge ranks 311th in this measure.
Nationwide, construction employment decreased in 225 out of the metro areas (62%) between June 2019 and June 2020, despite widespread increases from May to June, according to the AGC analysis.
“It is troubling to see construction employment lagging year-ago levels in most locations, in spite of a strong rebound in May and June,” says AGC chief economist Ken Simonson in a prepared statement. “Those gains were not enough to erase the huge losses in March and April.”
Many indicators since the employment data was collected in mid-June suggest construction employment will soon decline, or stagnate at best, in much of the country, added Simonson. Over the past 12 months, construction employment remained stagnant in 39 metro areas and increased in only 94 areas.
From May to June, a month when construction employment typically increases in most metro areas, the New Orleans-Metairie area lost the most jobs, reporting 1,500 less jobs, or a 6% decline.
View the metro employment one-month data and 12-month data from AGC.
