![Crews work on the site of a demolition of an old hardware store and church to make way for new housing and retail development on West Seventh Street at Chestnut Street in St. Paul on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. ] LEILA NAVIDI leila.navidi@startribune.com / BACKGROUND INFORMATION: After years as one of St. Paul's biggest afterthoughts, West Seventh Street is on the cusp of a renaissance that could put it in league with Northeast in Minneapolis and nearby Lowertown in St. Paul as one of the metro ar](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/KFFXFT7PTAUMTFMLIHGFZ5XWVE.jpg?&w=1080)
The Twin Cities have witnessed a seemingly endless parade of new commercial and residential developments, but Minnesota's latest construction job numbers tell a different story.
Minnesota lost 200 construction jobs in August, contributing to the industry's overall loss of 525 jobs in the past 12 months. Minnesota's 0.4 percent drop in construction jobs is lagging far behind the nation's 3.4 percent construction-job increase, according to the latest jobs report from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The state's construction sector appears out of sync with the composite employment gains of 7,300 across in August. This follows July's brutal loss of 2,000 construction jobs, which could indicate market normalization following a postrecession flurry of activity.
