Thirty-Six States Add Jobs, Infrastructure Spending's Weak

Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs in the year between July 2016 and July 2017, yet only half the states added construction jobs in the month between June and July of this year amid declining public-sector investments in infrastructure and other construction projects, reports the Associated General Contractors of America in an analysis of Labor Department data.

Firms in parts of the country that build infrastructure projects are seeing less demand for their services amid overall declines in public-sector spending. “Despite growing private-sector demand, it appears that construction employment in some parts of the country is being brought down by declining public-sector investments,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the association. “Some of these declines will be offset thanks to recently enacted state infrastructure funding increases, but stagnant federal investments are not helping.”