Metro Atlanta was one of roughly half the metro areas in America that added construction jobs during the past year, according to an industry group.
Between June of last year and this one, Atlanta added 4,500, according to analysis of federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.
The region now has 105,900 construction positions, roughly 4 percent of the total number of jobs in the area.
Atlanta accounts for about two-thirds of the construction jobs in Georgia. Statewide, construction jobs were up 500, which means that without Atlanta’s growth, the overall number would have declined.
Of the 358 metro areas tracked, construction increased in 180, the construction group said. In 127 metros, the number of construction jobs declined. The number was “stagnant” in the rest,” the contractors’ group said.
The past year has seen an acceleration in some big-ticket construction, including two massive sports stadiums and a number of large-scale corporate projects.
The Seattle area added the most construction jobs in the nation, gaining 11,300 jobs, followed by Denver, which added 10,200 jobs.
The largest construction losses were in New Orleans, which shed 2,700 jobs, followed by the shipbuilding hub of Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Miss., which lost 2,100 jobs – one-fifth of its total.
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