AGC says 'the worst has passed' for construction employment

The construction industry lost 13,000 jobs between January and February 2012, but continued a string of year-over-year job increases, according to an analysis of new federal employment data released today by the 

“Since many firms were able to either get an early start, or a late finish, to construction activity in December and January because of mild conditions, this month's job decline is probably more of a seasonal correction than the start of a new trend,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a March 9 release. “Given that the industry added over 47,000 jobs in the previous two months, the overall trend line is actually more positive than the monthly figures would indicate.”

Simonson noted that February was the sixth consecutive month that construction employment had risen from the same month a year before. He added that having a half-year of steady improvement shows that "the worst has passed."

Nonresidential specialty trade contractors employment increased by 0.3 percent between January and February, according to the organization.