All but one metro area in Washington state lost construction jobs in December compared to the same time a year prior, according to the latest jobs data released by federal labor officials. 

Just under half of metro areas across the country added construction jobs between December 2024 and December 2025, according to the Associated General Contractors of America’s analysis of new government employment data.  

Association officials noted that construction job growth has stalled in many parts of the country amid contractor worries about lax demand and the ongoing challenge of finding enough workers to hire. 

“Construction hiring has stalled or declined in a majority of metro areas as owners have put projects on hold,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a statement. “Nevertheless, most contractors expect it to be as hard or harder than last year to add workers.” 

Washington state had 11,300 fewer construction jobs, a 5% drop, in December 2025 compared to the same month in 2024.  

The Tri-Cities had 10,900 construction jobs in December 2025, 400 fewer, or a 4% decline, compared to a year prior.  

The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area lost the most construction jobs overall at 4,800, or 4%, compared to the same month in 2024.