Construction jobs down 11,600

Florida has shed 11,600 construction jobs over the past year, according to a new analysis from the Associated General Contractors of America based on U.S. Labor Department data.

The state's construction industry provided the local labor force with 324,800 jobs as of the end of October, compared to 336,400 a year ago. Florida has the third-largest construction employment in the nation, behind Texas and California, each with slightly more than 500,000 such workers.

The industry added jobs between August and September, increasing from 327,000 to 329,600 in terms of total employment. But October's employment changes erased those gains, and then some.

Based in Washington, D.C., the Associated General Contractors of America represent 33,000 as a full-service national trade association.