Lafayette, Shreveport among several cities with net gains in construction jobs

Ten U.S. cities added construction jobs in February when compared to the year before, and two of those metro areas were in Louisiana. Lafayette and Shreveport were among the cities to see an increase in construction jobs, according to a report released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Lafayette was up 200 construction jobs compared with February 2009, a 3% gain. The city went from 7,000 construction jobs to 7,200 in a year. Shreveport was up 2%, from 8,400 jobs to 8,600. Baton Rouge saw a 0.2% drop in construction jobs, going from 40,900 jobs to 40,800. That modest decrease was good enough to place the Capital Region 23rd on the construction growth list. Eau Claire, Wis., was the biggest gainer out of U.S. cities, adding 600 construction jobs, a 29% gain, for a total of 2,700. Monroe, Mich., was the biggest loser, shedding 900 jobs, or 41% of its construction work force, from February 2009.