Dive Brief:

• November's year-over-year construction employment figures, analyzed by Associated General Contractors, show that employment in the construction industry rose in 211 of 339 metropolitan areas between November 2012 and the same month in 2013, though it fell in 67 others.
• The biggest increases in raw numbers were in the Atlanta and Los Angeles areas, with 10,500 and 9,100 jobs added, respectively, while the largest percentage increases were in Steubenville-Weirton, Ohio-W.V.; Eau Claire, Wis.; Fargo, N.D.; and Pascagoula, Miss. —​ all with gains above 20%.
• AGC noted that the industry remains well behind where it was before the recession began —​ all but 19 metros are in that position —​ a situation that many businesses face, and that may be a harder nut to crack.

Dive Insight:

The largest numeric losses were in the Cincinnati, Ohio, and Raleigh, N.C., areas, and the biggest percentage loss over the 12 months was in Modesto, Calif. The organization took congressional agreement on a budget plan last month as a sign that maybe there will be agreement on funding infrastructure construction, which has been heavily impacted by reduced government spending at all levels in recent years.