Bay State building boom fuels surge in construction jobs

A Bay State building boom that has changed the city’s skyline and will see two new resort casinos has boosted Massachusetts’ construction crews to record levels, a new report shows.

Construction workers in Massachusetts topped a state record 150,000 last month, according to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America. “Work is good in Boston, work is good in the state,” said Louis Mandarini, business manager of Laborers Local 22. “Right now it’s a lot of work, good jobs, good-paying jobs.”

The number of construction workers in the state has increased 3.7 percent since February 2016, the contractors group said.

In Boston alone, there are 98 projects currently under construction worth a combined $8 billion, according to the Boston Planning & Development Agency.

The sudden spike is fueled by an unprecedented construction boom in the Hub that still holds the promise of many large projects to come. The Winthrop Square project in Government Center is still in its infancy, much of the massive Seaport Square development has yet to be built, and a significant development is expected on Morrissey Boulevard.

Outside of downtown Boston, there is the promise of even more jobs in the near future. Casinos in Everett — expected to be the largest private development in state history — and Springfield are just getting off the ground, while Suffolk Downs appears to be moving closer to large-scale redevelopment every day.

The construction category added 600 jobs in February, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, representing the second-largest gain among sectors.