On Friday, the Labor Department reported the first back-to-back monthly gains in construction jobs since 2006, with 14,000 construction jobs added nationwide in April.

In all, 29 states gained construction jobs that month, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Construction. Although still slow, the growth has been bolstered, in part, by federal stimulus funds for infrastructure and a slow but steady improvement in the housing market.

Ken Simonson, the AGC’s chief economist, cautions that post-stimulus job losses in the construction industry could still occur when stimulus projects run their course. He encourages Congress to enact the long-delayed highway and aviation bills, pass the Water Resources Development Act and the Building Star legislation, and establish a Clean Water Trust Fund and National Infrastructure Bank…read more