Construction employment in December remained below levels reached just before the start of the pandemic in more than half the states despite widespread gains last month, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said employment hasn鈥檛 recovered fully because most firms report difficulty finding workers, according to the association鈥檚 recent survey predicting the industry鈥檚 hiring and business outlook.
鈥淓ven though employment has risen in more states recently, so has the number of job openings as contractors struggle to find qualified workers in an increasingly tight labor market,鈥 said Ken Simonson, the association鈥檚 chief economist. 鈥淚n our survey of more than 1,000 construction firms, 74 percent expect to increase their headcount in the year ahead, but 75 percent expect finding workers will be as hard or harder than last year.鈥
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