•Press Release Economic Crisis and Recovery Jobs United States
Washington DC — Nationwide, the blue collar sectors of construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging lost 44,000 jobs in February, a 0.22 percent decrease from the previous month. CEPR’s Blue Collar Jobs Tracker, released today, shows where the jobs increased and where they didn’t.
Construction jobs decreased by 56,000 in February. The Midwest region had the most states with net decreases in construction jobs. The West was the only region to experience an overall increase, with 3,800 jobs added. “It is highly likely construction losses in February … were an outlier, as winter weather often slows down projects that are ongoing as well as the start of new projects,” said CEPR data analyst Matt Sedlar.
Manufacturing jobs increased by 18,000 in February. “This report confirms manufacturing losses in January were likely a blip and that a slow recovery from major losses early in the pandemic is resuming,” explained Sedlar. By region, the West had the largest net increase in manufacturing, with 12,900 jobs added in February. California led the states with the highest increase in manufacturing jobs with 8,900 jobs, or a 0.72 percent increase over the previous month.
Mining and logging jobs decreased by 6,000 in February. As the slump in these combined sectors continues, Texas was a bright spot, with a net increase in the combined sectors of 1,900 jobs added in February. West Virginia led the states in the largest net decrease, with 500 jobs lost.
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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.
