Louisiana has lost 7,000 construction jobs over the past 12 months, according to seasonally adjusted data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America, reflecting a 4.8% decline in construction employment throughout 2019.
The steep jobs decline caused Louisiana to rank 48th among all states and Washington, D.C., in terms of construction employment over the 12-month period, with the state outperforming only Connecticut (-5.5%), West Virginia (-7.2%) and Wyoming (-9.5%).Â
Additionally, the 7,000 jobs lost was second highest in the country, after Ohio, which lost 9,000. Overall, Louisiana was among 16 states to lose construction jobs in 2019.
Louisiana has been steadily losing construction jobs each month. Between October and December, Louisiana lost 500 jobs.
The latest figures come as construction employment has increased in 34 states and Washington, D.C., over the past 12 months, while 29 states added construction jobs in December.Â
Leading the country in terms of annual job gains was Texas, which added 55,900 jobs. Meanwhile, Maine saw the highest percentage increase of construction jobs, with an 11.5% uptick. Check out the AGC data.
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