The state of Nevada has seen a nine percent increase in construction jobs over the last year. Reno Public Radio’s Noah Glick reports.
According to a new study from the Associated General Contractors of America, Nevada has added 5,700 construction jobs across the state since February 2015.
Bill Anderson is chief economist for the state, and he says this rise is a good sign for the overall state economy.
“We’re seeing growth in our traditional industries, such as construction and leisure and hospitality, which have been our historical drivers in terms of economic growth here in the Silver State.”
Anderson says that he expects these jobs to continue to rise.
“Given what we know about the economy and various projects that are in the pipeline, we think that we should be able to continue to grow, at least at a modest pace if not stronger.”
Yet Anderson says there’s still work to do.
“We’re growing at a relatively fast rate, but we’re talking about 70,000-plus construction jobs currently versus about 150,000 in the immediate pre-recessionary period.”
According to the report, the Reno metro area added 900 jobs in the last year.