Tampa Bay among top metros for construction job growth
By Chris Erickson
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Apr 27, 2016

Construction jobs in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area grew at one of the fastest rates in the country from March 2015 to March 2016, according to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America.

When ranked by percentage growth, the metro region ranked No. 39 out of 358. When ranked by number of jobs added, however, the metro area was the eighth-highest with a one-year addition of 6,700 jobs. This brought total construction employment from 62,400 in 2015 to 69,100 in 2016.

Lakeland-Winter Haven ranked No. 78 on the report with an 8 percent growth in construction jobs, or an additional 900 jobs. Construction jobs in North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton also added 900 jobs, which represents 5 percent growth. The combined Tampa Bay area added a total of 8,500 construction jobs in that period.

Nationally, El Centro, California had the highest percentage growth rate at 45 percent, while Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, California added the highest number of jobs at 11,900. Overall, 244 of the 358 metro areas saw an increase in construction jobs, 44 remained unchanges and 70 decreased from 2015 to 2016.