Job losses in Utah’s construction industry are slowing down, according to November figures from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA). The industry employed 78,000 workers statewide last month, 4 percent fewer than in November 2009. That figure represents a steady improvement since June, when construction jobs were down 7 percent from a year earlier, but still reflects a decline of 40,000 jobs since the industry’s peak in 2008. Salt Lake Tribune
Note: Official survey numbers from the Utah Department of Workforce Services/Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics (CES) program indicate that construction employment is down only only 1.8 percent between November 2009 and 2010. In addition, the survey shows 69,300 construction jobs in Utah. The Current Employment Statistics survey is also "benchmarked" to the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) employment figures (available roughly five months after the survey data) which is a universe count of all roughly 98 percent of employers. In other words, we maintain that CES and QCEW counts offer much, much better source of construction employment data. To access current figures, go to: http://jobs.utah.gov/wi/pubs/une/
