A survey from the Associated General Contractors of America shows there’s been an increase in construction activity in two of Iowa’s largest metropolitan areas.
The association found construction employment has increased over the past year in Des Moines and West Des Moines by about five percent.
Construction activity was more robust in the Quad Cities, showing an 11 percent hike in construction work this July compared to July of 2010. However, on the other side of the state, in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro, there was a four percent decline in construction jobs.
In the Cedar Rapids/Marion metro, the number of construction jobs held steady in the year-to-year comparison.
The Associated General Contractors of America reviewed construction activity in 337 metro areas around the country and found a “mostly stagnant” picture for the U.S. construction industry. The association’s chief economist says while private sector construction is showing a “modest increase” the decline in government-funded construction activity is a “big worry for construction workers.”