The inconsistent pattern of blue collar job growth in July, particularly in construction and manufacturing, reflects the patchwork of different pandemic control policies in states, according to a new analysis in today’s Blue Collar Jobs Tracker.
On Friday, national jobs data for August will be released. “It’ll be interesting to see how July numbers will be revised at the national level, as well as how the blue collar sectors fared, as states continue to struggle with the pandemic,” said CEPR data analyst Matt Sedlar, author of today’s analysis.
Once the epicenter of the pandemic in the US, New York saw the largest increase in construction jobs in July, ticking up 3.99% over the previous month. That stands in contrast to the three states with the largest decreases in construction jobs: California with a net decrease of -1.75% over the previous month, Florida with a net decrease of -1.11% over the previous month, and Texas with a net decrease of -0.85% over the previous month.
Michigan experienced the largest increase in manufacturing jobs with a net increase of 9,400, or 1.71% over the previous month. Virginia experienced the largest net decrease in manufacturing jobs, with a 6,700 drop, or -2.85% over the previous month.
Overall, employment in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 39,000 jobs in July, or 0.2% over the previous month.
Blue Collar Jobs Tracker is a project of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) created to take a closer look at the path of job growth in four major blue collar industries: manufacturing, mining, construction, and logging.
