Kansas has lost the highest number of construction jobs in the nation over the past 12 months, according to an analysis of United States Department of Labor data.
The report issued by the Associated General Contractors of America shows that Kansas construction jobs dropped 7.3 percent, 4400 jobs, in the last 12 months. In the last month alone the report shows Kansas lost 500 jobs.
A spokesman for the Kansas Contractors Association, whose members provide supplies and services to the heavy highway and utility construction industry, feels that the state's decision to move appropriated money from the Kansas Department of Transportation is at the heart of the job losses.
Other states that experienced significant construction job declines include North Dakota, Kentucky, Alabama, Wyoming and Maine. The state with the highest percentage of construction job gains was Iowa, with a jump in jobs of 16.5 percent.
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Aileen LeBlanc is news director at KMUW. Follow her on Twitter @Aileen_LeBlanc.
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