Construction employment slips again in June

Construction employment shed another 9,000 jobs from May to June, continuing a five-year-long slump, according to a June 8 release from the Associated General Contractors of America. The industry unemployment rate was at 15.6 percent in June, down from 20.1 percent a year ago. However, the June 2011 employment total was only 2,000 more than in June 2010, and more than 2.2 million below the peak in April 2006, according to the release.

"Even with the drop in the industry unemployment rate, the lack of hiring means that people are leaving construction, not going back into it," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist, in the release."That will make future expansion all the more difficult."

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