AGC: Construction unemployment rate drops
The unemployment rate among construction workers dropped to its lowest level in five years in July, the Associated General Contractors of America said.
Citing U.S. Labor Department data, the industry unemployment rate declined to 9.1 percent, the association said. However, the reasons for the drop were not necessarily positive, said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist.
“Although the unemployment rate for experienced construction workers came down to 9.1 percent in July, many of those workers have left the industry for other jobs, school or training programs, or retirement,” Simonson said. “While the industry has added workers in the past year, employment growth has been negligible recently.”
Echoing comments made by the BlueGreen Alliance, the AGC called on Congress to start funding infrastructure projects to boost industry hiring.
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