The Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner region lost 38 percent of its construction workforce during 2009, the sharpest drop in building trade employment anywhere in the United States, according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Specifically, construction employment in the Leominster region dropped from 1,600 in 2008 to 1,000 in 2009. The Worcester region lost 1,000 jobs for an 11 percent decline while the Framingham area lost 900 jobs representing a 13 percent drop. The Boston area’s construction employment fell from 55,700 to 49,200, a 12 percent decline.
Only four metropolitan areas in the United States actually added construction jobs last year: Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa. (1,500 jobs, 13 percent gain); Tulsa, Okla. (700 jobs, 3 percent gain); Springfield, Ohio (100 jobs, 8 percent gain) and Columbus, Ind. (100 jobs, 5 percent gain).
