California Metro Construction Employment August 2024-August 2025, not seasonally adjusted


State (seasonally adjusted) California


Metros:


Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale Metro Division Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario


Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine Metro Division San Diego-Carlsbad


Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley Metro Division San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara


145,800 110,800 103,200 90,400 75,700 74,000 54,600


San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco Metro Division 41,000 -6% -4% -2% 0% 2% 4% 6% -4% -6% -4% -1% - -4% -3% - 1% 6%


August 2025: 893,000


% change from August -2% At2024:


Source: Bureau of Laborf


areas in which mining and logging have few employers. AGC attributes all of thef


Statistics, www.bls.gov/sae. *BLS reports employment combined with mining and logging for DE, HI, DC and metro change in employment to construction.


©2025 The Associated General Contractors of America,f


Inc.


projects continue to anchor the state’s pipeline, including a $6 billion recycling facility expansion in Carson, aimed at expanding the volume of recycled water supplied to Marathon Petroleum’s Los Angeles Refinery. Te recently signed $1.9 billion ex- pansion of the LA Convention Center is another positive beacon for construction. Several regional mega projects are un- derway, ranging from a $5 billion Beverly Hills development to a major Scripps Memorial La Jolla medical tower.


Bright Spot: Healthcare Work Healthcare construction remains one of the brighter spots heading into 2026. Funding is already in place to support major terminal, highway, and rail im-


22


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026


provements next year, including work on State Route 47, updated interchange configurations, and continued rail ex- pansion. Te Port of Los Angeles remains active and continues to be a meaningful source of construction demand. Overall, the market is adjusting to


its new reality. Tariff uncertainty and port-related supply chain friction contin- ue adding cost and scheduling pressure, particularly for firms that rely heavily on imported materials. Steps are being put in place to address the slowdown in the construction sector, notably measures to secure labor availability over the longer term.


Civil and transportation work remain


supported by ongoing infrastructure pro- grams, and healthcare construction has


been more resilient than most commercial categories. Renovation and update proj- ects continue to move forward in select markets. While challenges remain, a few sectors still show real promise heading into 2026.


Macrina Wilkins works as a senior research analyst for the Associated General Contractors of America. A graduate of Cornell University, she has done


post-bac work in economics at George Mason University. Wilkins is a frequent industry speaker, sharing her knowledge on trends in the labor, spending, and material markets, a member of the National Associate of Business Economists, and serves as VP of Programming of the National Economics Club of Washington DC.


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