Construction jobs were added in half the states in August, while the number of states with year-over-year job gains rose to 10 from just six in July, reported the Associated General Contractors. The number of states that increased construction employment during the past 12 months was the largest since October 2008.
Illinois gained the most jobs in August with 14,200 new jobs, or a 7.7 percent increase, due in part to the end of a strike. The largest year-over-year increase was in New Hampshire, where construction employment rose 9.6 percent, 2,100 jobs. The largest percentage job decrease compared to August 2009 was in Nevada at 19.6 percent, 14,700 jobs.
