Over the past 12 months, Orlando ranked No. 2 in the nation for growth of construction jobs among major metro areas, adding 8,800 jobs, up by 15 percent.
Only the Anaheim-Irvine area in California added more — 14,900 jobs, a 17 percent growth rate.
Construction jobs grew in two-thirds of the nation’s metro areas from April 2015 to April 2016, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
A year ago, the Orlando area ranked No. 8 in the nation. The market has tightened steadily since then.
All metro areas in Florida showed significant growth in constrtuction jobs.
“Construction growth remains widely distributed by location and project type,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist.
According to Simonson, a lack of skilled construction workers in many areas “threatens to hold down the extent of job gains in the coming months.”
The Association tracked construction job numbers in 358 metro areas, finding growth in 235 areas, losses in 67 areas, and no change in 56.
Construction spending increased 4.5 percent from April 2015 to April 2016 despite a drop of 1.8 percent from March to April, Simonson noted.
Association officials said both sets of data reflect relatively strong market conditions for the construction sector. The two main industry concerns remain the availability of qualified workers and the need for new investments in aging infrastructure.
