After suffering a 25 percent hit during the previous three years, Chattanooga’s construction industry led the state in the past year in building back employment.
The size of construction payrolls in the six-county Chattanooga metropolitan area rose by 700 jobs in the most recent 12-month period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chattanooga was the only one of Tennessee’s 10 metro areas to show a rebound in such jobs in the past year.
There are still 2,600 fewer building-industry jobs in Chattanooga than at the peak in 2007. But local contractors are capitalizing on some of the state’s biggest building projects — under way or on the drawing board — in the automotive, energy and appliance industries.
“We’re not out of the woods yet, but it is encouraging to see more people back working and the prospect of more projects in the future,” said Roger Tuder, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee.
“The economy is still tender, but even during what is normally a slow holiday period, we’re seeing some real improvement,” Tuder said.