By Chip Brownlee
Alabama Political Reporter
Joining a wave of construction job growth across the country, Alabama had the sixth-best construction job growth over the last year.
Forty states saw an increase in construction jobs between November 2016 and November 2017, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Two western states led the pack with California and Nevada ranking first and second, both showing more than a 13 percent increase in state construction employment.
Alabama — which recently announced a new record-low unemployment rate of 3.5 percent — saw an 8.5 percent increase in construction jobs, adding 7,200 last year. In November alone, the state added 1,700 — a 1.9 percent increase.
“There were robust construction gains in most parts of the country as the economy continues to expand,” said association CEO Stephen E. Sandherr. “Demand should continue to grow as newly enacted tax cuts and regulatory reforms stimulate even more widespread economic growth.”
Overall, the U.S. economy added 228,000 jobs in November, which slightly exceeded economists’ expectations while national unemployment hovered at 4.1 percent.
