Jobs Report Shows Construction Still Lags, Washington Stands in the Way of Robust Recovery

“Reversing sequestration and investment in nation’s basic infrastructure could spur growth and prosperity for working people”

Washington, D.C. (May 3, 2013) – While the dip in overall jobs growth that economists feared did not occur – the national unemployment rate went down slightly to 7.5 percent -the construction industry lost 6,000 jobs in April and construction unemployment remains in the double digits at 13.2 percent.

Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement on today’s employment numbers from the Labor

Department:

“Today’s jobs report shows that there continues to be a jobs shortage in the construction sector where one million people are unemployed and many have been out of work for 8 months or longer.

“The problems facing our nation are solvable. Rolling back austerity measures like sequestration and making needed investments in our nation’s crumbling
infrastructure would help put us back on track. As a nation, we are near the bottom of the industrialized world in the reliability, availability and general functionality of
our nation’s infrastructure.

“Moderate voices must seize the reins and enact commonsense legislation that will put Americans back to work and rebuild our nation’s failing roads, bridges, dams,
transportation systems and other basic but critical infrastructure. A working America is a prosperous America and working families can’t wait any longer for the help they
need from our elected leaders.”