Louisville Adds Construction Jobs in August

The Louisville region added 800 more construction jobs in August of this year than in the same month last year, according to data released from the group Associated General Contractors (AGC). Though, the numbers are an anomaly compared to national statistics. “What we are seeing is that the predominance of work is in the public sector and not in the private sector,” said Ron Wolf with the Kentucky chapter of AGC.That’s contrary to what AGC is seeing nationally. AGC released U.S. Census data that shows the private sector nationwide has increased investments by 5.5 percent, while the public sector has decreased investments around 8.8 percent.“A lot of the construction that is going on is going on in the public sector, local governments, some state governments, colleges, schools, things like that that are making some work available. And that’s where we are seeing a lot of the activity today,” said Wolf.Tim Hunt with Kentuckiana’s Associated Builders and Contractors said he hasn’t seen an increase in area construction. ACB represents over 300 companies region-wide and August is when ABC members look for apprenticeships, said Hunt. This year, apprenticeships have dropped significantly and Hunt said that is partly a reflection of less work available. Louisville is one of three major Kentucky regions that saw gains in construction work when comparing August 2010 and 2011 numbers.