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As Miami-Dade County employment showed a rosy 4.4% gain in total non-agricultural workers in February from February 2022, the bellwether construction industry was the only loser, with a full 5.5% loss in jobs in the county over the one-year period.
At the same time that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics was reporting Friday on figures that revealed the surprising construction job decline here, the Associated General Contractors of America’s chief economist, Ken Simonson, was saying that “construction employment continued to expand almost everywhere in February compared to a year ago.”
Indeed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show a 3.3% jobs growth year to year in construction throughout Florida, figures that included the 5.5% Miami-Dade loss of 2,900 construction jobs from February 2022. The county’s drop was 1,000 jobs just from January.
The Associated General Contractors reported that construction jobs rose in 45 states over that one-year period and that Florida overall added 19,700 construction jobs, third most in the nation.
“Association officials said most construction firms report they are having trouble finding enough workers to hire to keep pace with the demand,” the organization’s bulletin said.
The unexpected decline in Miami-Dade in construction jobs contrasted with every other sector of a tight jobs market that saw a gain of 41,807 total jobs in the 12-month period ending in February.
The biggest percentage gainer in Miami-Dade over the year was leisure and hospitality, up 7.8% in jobs in coming back from the huge hit the travel industry took during the pandemic. The industry now employs 145,100 persons, approaching its all-time high of 149,700 exactly three years earlier, weeks before Covid-19 hit South Florida.
The second-largest gain of 5.8% was shared three ways.
The professional and business services sector rose to 211,500 jobs, a 12-month gain of 11,500 jobs.
Also gaining 5.8% was the education and health sector, adding 11,600 jobs to reach 213,000, by far the most workers ever in Miami-Dade in that broad category.
The category of other service jobs not included in other categories also rose 5.8% to 49,400 jobs.
Manufacturing jobs during the year-long period rose 5.2% in Miami-Dade, the trade, transportation and utilities sector gain 3.9%, and government employment gained 2.7%. The information and finance sectors each gained 2.2% in employment in the year.
https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2023/03/28/construction-jobs-tumble-as-all-other-categories-gain-fast/
