Dive Brief:

• The monthly analysis of federal job figures showed that construction-industry employment was about flat. Associated General Contractors (AGC) focused on 38 states adding positions over the previous 12 months.
• From February, 24 states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs, with Ohio leading with a 2.5% increase, and 23 states lost jobs, led by a 0.8% decline in Texas.
• In AGC's analysis, Chief Economist Ken Simonson said the harsh winter that did not let up in March might account for the overall hiring situation. He also said it may be that home builders are not going to grow their business at the pace some predicted, and that sector of the industry may be stalling.

Dive Insight:

Every economic report about construction this year has had a caveat about the weather's effect on activity in large portions of the country. It's possible that March is a write-off as well, and April might be the first figures to give a representative picture of where things stand.