Construction employment on Long Island saw a year-over-year increase for the ninth month in a row in November, according to a new report from the Associated General Contractors of America.
Nassau and Suffolk counties gained 4,100 construction jobs from Nov. 2023 to Nov. 2024, a 5 percent year-over-year increase, rising from 81,300 to 85,400, the AGCA reports.
Regionally, the number of construction jobs in New York City was down 5 percent, losing 7,800 jobs from Nov. 2023 to Nov. 2024, falling from 142,300 to 134,500, which was the largest drop in construction jobs in the country’s 358 metro areas that AGCA tracks for that period.
Construction employment in the Orange/Rockland/Westchester area dropped by 3 percent, losing 1,300 jobs from Nov. 2023 to Nov. 2024, falling from 45,500 to 44,200, the AGCA reported.
Statewide, there were 5,600 fewer construction jobs from Nov. 2023 to Nov. 2024, according to the New York State Department of Labor.
Nationally, construction employment rose in 234 of 358 metro areas, between Nov. 2023 and Nov. 2024, while it declined in 63 metro areas and was unchanged in 61 areas, according to AGCA and new government employment data.
Association officials reported that firms continue to boost pay rates as many of them struggle to find enough qualified workers to hire.
“Although nearly two-thirds of metro areas have added construction workers in the past year, contractors report struggling to fill many hourly craft positions,” Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, said in an AGCA statement. “These difficulties will be even greater in 2025 if the industry cannot access targeted workforce authorizations.”
Metro areas adding the most construction jobs over the last year include the Houston area, which added 16,100 jobs for a 7 percent increase; the northern Virginia area, which gained 9,000 jobs for an 11 percent gain; and the Miami area, gaining 6,100 jobs for a 10 percent rise.
Besides New York City, the metro areas seeing the largest drops in construction employment from Nov. 2023 to Nov. 2024 include the Sacramento, Calif. area which lost 4,700 jobs for a 6 percent decline; the Portland area, which lost 4,200 jobs for a 5 percent drop; and the Phoenix area, which lost 3,700 jobs for a 2 percent drop.