4,800 construction jobs lost in state over past year

ATLANTA - A national trade association says Georgia lost roughly 4,800 construction jobs in the past year.

The Associated General Contractors of America released state-by-state figures Tuesday that showed Georgia with 140,900 construction workers in September, down 3 percent from the same month last year.

In metro Atlanta, which has been hit particularly hard by the recession's steep decline in home building, construction jobs were down 6 percent. The Augusta area saw a 3 percent drop, while in Savannah the decline in construction jobs was 2 percent.

However, employment gains in construction were being reported near the Georgia-Tennessee state line. The trade association says Chattanooga, Tenn., reported an increase of 1,300 construction jobs a 15 percent improvement over 2011.