Construction employment increased in 170 out of 339 metropolitan areas, including Spokane and Seattle, in April compared with the year-earlier month, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released late last month by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Coeur d'Alene was among the 123 markets in which construction employment fell in April. In the other 46 markets, employment remained stagnant, the report says.

"Demand for construction continues to grow in many parts of the country amid increasing private sector investments in new residential, energy, and supply-chain facilities like factories, rail lines, and warehouses," says Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "These private sector gains appear strong enough in many parts of the country to outpace declining public sector investments in infrastructure and buildings."

In Spokane, the report says, the construction industry employed 9,100 people in April, up 2 percent from 8,900 in the year-earlier month. That growth rate was consistent with the state as a whole, which had 136,100 construction workers in April, up 2 percent from 133,600 in April 2012.

Growth in the Seattle area's construction employment outpaced Spokane and the state as a whole, with 64,800 employed in construction in April, up 3 percent from 62,800 in the year-earlier month.

In Coeur d'Alene, the report shows 3,100 people worked in construction in April, down 3 percent from 3,200 workers in the year-earlier period. In all of Idaho, 30,200 people worked in construction in April, up 2 percent from the year-earlier month.

Nationwide, Pascagoula, Miss., added the highest percentage of new construction jobs (45 percent, 1,700 jobs), followed by Napa, Calif. (36 percent, 800 jobs); Merced, Calif. (19 percent, 300 jobs); Baton Rouge, La. (16 percent, 6,600 jobs) and Lake Charles, La. (16 percent, 1,400 jobs).

Two metro areas in Texas virtually tied for the most jobs added in the past 12 months: Dallas-Plano-Irving (11,500 jobs, 11 percent) and Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown (11,400 jobs, 6 percent). They were followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif. (9,400 jobs, 9 percent); Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (7,800 jobs, 13 percent) and Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz. (7,500 jobs, 9 percent).

Bellingham, Wash. (-20 percent, -1,300 jobs) lost the highest percentage of jobs. Other areas experiencing large percentage declines in construction employment included Decatur, Ill. (-18 percent, -700 jobs); Eau Claire, Wis. (-17 percent, -500 jobs); and Rockford, Ill. (-17 percent, -700 jobs).

The largest overall job losses were in Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill. (-5,900 jobs, -5 percent), followed by Northern Virginia (-3,200 jobs, -5 percent); Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky. (-2,400 jobs, -6 percent); and Raleigh-Cary, N.C. (-2,300 jobs, -8 percent).

Association officials say that improving construction employment is masking longer-term problems that could come from declining public sector investments. For example, they say, economic growth could suffer as aging transportation infrastructure forces businesses to pay more to ship goods.

At the same time, increasing construction employment means more areas could experience worker shortages in the near future amid a lack of available workers with experience in certain key construction skills, the association says.

"Declining investments in infrastructure and other public assets could ultimately undermine the very growth that is currently boosting employment," says Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer. "With hiring on the rebound in many areas, we also need to rebuild vocational education programs and rethink immigration construction caps to ensure there are enough skilled workers available to meet growing demand."