Baton Rouge continues to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy market for construction employment. The Capital Region was one of eight U.S. metro areas to add construction jobs since September 2008, according to a report released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. There were 41,200 construction jobs in the Capital Region in September, 1% more than the 40,600 jobs in September 2008. Only Tulsa, Okla., added more construction jobs in the past year. Columbus, Ind., was the only city to see double-digit growth in construction work, adding 300 jobs to go up 15%. The other metro areas in Louisiana all posted modest drops in construction employment. Houma-Thibodaux was down 2% to 5,500 workers; Lafayette and Lake Charles fell by 4% and New Orleans and Shreveport-Bossier City were down 5% each. Reno, Nev., saw the biggest percentage drop in construction work, down 5,700 jobs, or 35%.
Baton Rouge ranks second for construction job gains
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