Metro Atlanta lost more than 57,000 construction jobs, or 42 percent, over the past four years, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the group determined the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area ranked 291st out of 337 metro areas in construction employment jobs gained -- or in many cases lost -- over the period, according a news release.
The numbers include all types of construction jobs, including road construction and home building.
“Georgia has certainly has had one of the most challenging experiences,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Virginia-based contractor’s group. “And you all will still have some challenges ahead.
Simonson said a number of federal stimulus projects across the state, such as work at Fort Benning, the giant Army post in Columbus, will end this year, possibly adding to the number of unemployed construction workers.
The state labor department did not comment on Tuesday's data, but it said last week when the latest metro jobless rate was released that out-of-work construction workers are one of the biggest contributors to metro Atlanta’s relatively high rate.
Simonson said he expects private construction will “likely start to come back this year, but not all at once.”
Nationally, 28 cities lost 50 percent or more of their construction jobs, according to the release.
Phoenix lost more – 91,400 – than any other metro area since January 2007, a 54 percent decline, said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive.
Greater Atlanta was listed among the metro areas that lost a significant number of construction jobs, with 57,700 lost over the four year period. The state has lost 88,600 construction jobs over the same period, according to the release.
“In too many metro areas, the construction industry is a mere shadow of what it was just four years ago,” Simonson said. “This new data should make it pretty clear that the sector’s revival is anything but guaranteed.”
