Catherwood LibraryILR School

A report released this morning by the Association of General Contractors of America reiterated bad news for construction workers, summing up how the industry did between February 2009 and February 2010. In that time period, only ten out of 337 total metropolitan areas added construction jobs. 230 areas had job loss percentages in the double digits. Houston, Texas was one of the hardest hit, losing 25,500 jobs, or 13% of its construction workforce. Virginia and Maryland were also floundering, and lost significant positions not only in construction, but in mining and logging as well. Virginia lost 21,200 jobs. Maryland lost 25,800 jobs , leaving the state with just over 130,000 mining, logging and construction positions. In Washington DC, the industry shrank by a staggering 27%. The report characterized the loss as devastating but expressed home the some homebuilding and the federal stimulus would help to start reviving the market in the spring.