Between January 2018 and January 2019, 44 states added construction jobs, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Thirty-three states saw increases between December, 2018 and last January.
California saw the biggest increase in the number of jobs created in 2018, with 28,500 jobs created, followed by Florida (26,600) and Texas taking the third spot (24,700).
In terms of percentages, West Virginia saw the biggest increase, with its 17,500 new jobs amounting to 51.6%.
"These figures are consistent with the optimism contractors expressed about workloads and hiring plans in our association's recent survey," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for AGC of America. "But finding workers to execute those projects is likely to be an ongoing challenge."
In the survey, nearly four out of five responding firms indicated they expect to increase their staffs this year. But tempering that optimistic news: 78% of the survey's 1,312 respondents said they were struggling to fill positions.
