Two major U.S. job markets – construction and engineering – were recently analyzed in two separate reports, with dissimilar results.
Randstad reports that according to the Associated General Contractors of America's December data on construction jobs, work increased in 148 metropolitan areas between December 2010 and last December. Conversely, it dropped in just 128 metropolises.
Also, spending on construction jobs rose by 4.3 percent due to greater public demand.
When looking at specific locations, Lake County-Kenosha County, Illinois, reported the highest number of added jobs in the country, year over year. The city created 3,900 jobs over that time period, a 33 percent increase.
While full-time jobs are on the rise in the construction sector, many engineers are finding it hard to land a position even as a part-time or temporary worker.
According to data from the American Community Survey collected by the Census Bureau, there are 1.8 million U.S. residents with engineering degrees who are either unemployed, out of the labor market or working in fields other than engineering. This applies to those with Master's degrees and Ph.D's as well – 68,000 of those with advanced diplomas are out of the labor force.
