Construction industry workforce in Nevada shrank 19.5 percent in 2010

By Buck Wargo

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011 | 11:07 a.m.

The Nevada construction industry shed 19.5 percent of its workforce in 2010 and faces additional challenges in 2011 with builders not undertaking any significant projects, according to a report released today by the Associated General Contractors of Southern Nevada.

The group contrasted the state’s 1.6 percent drop in employment in 2010 to the weakness in its industry as it continues to lobby state lawmakers to fund infrastructure projects.

The taxable construction spending reported in November was $108 million, down 27 percent from $147 million in November 2009, the firm reported. In the 12-month period that ended Nov. 30, taxable construction spending was $1.5 billion, a 32 percent decline compared to the 12-month period ending in November 2009, according to the report.

The total number of jobs statewide went from 810,700 at the end of 2099 to 797,600 at the end of 2010, according to the AGC report prepared by Las Vegas-based by Applied Analysis. During that time span, construction industry jobs fell from 54,800 to 44,100. Building construction workers took the biggest hit going from 9,000 workers to 6,700 in the span of a year, a decline of nearly 26 percent, the report said.

With nearly 200,000 Nevadans seeking work, nearly one in three are workers in the construction, design and development industry, the report said.

It may not improve in 2011. The value of commercial building permits issued in December was $23.7 million, down from $151 million in December 2009, an 84 percent decline, the report said.

In January, the construction industry through the Building Jobs Coalition released a white paper urging state lawmakers to increase tax revenue and stop raiding funds to better finance infrastructure projects and create 100,000 jobs.

Its No. 1 priority was a dedicated revenue source for capital projects.

The average wage of construction workers was $22.37 in December, down from $22.50 in December 2009.