A new report released by the Associated General Contractors of America shows employment gains in Iowa’s construction industry.
There was a four percent increase in the number of construction-related jobs in Iowa this June compared to the same month a year ago. The group also analyzed data from the nation’s top metropolitan areas. It found construction employment jumped nine percent in the Des Moines metro and six percent in Cedar Rapids during that 12-month period.
The Associated General Contractors of America is the trade association for the construction industry. According to the group’s chief economist, there’s growth in construction in about two-thirds of the country, while construction job losses are being recorded in states like New Jersey, West Virginia and Arizona.
Missouri was the only neighboring state to record job losses in construction; the decline there was just one percent. Minnesota had the largest jump in construction jobs in the region — an eight percent increase in June of this year compared to June of last year.
Metro areas on Iowa’s borders saw little to no growth in construction employment during the period. There was a one percent increase in construction jobs in the Quad Cities during the period, while the report found no construction job gains in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro.
