Illinois added 11,100 construction jobs (+5.8%) in August, trailing only Florida, California and Texas in year-over-year comparisons, according to data compiled by Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

Indiana (7,600 jobs, +6.2%), Michigan (3,400 jobs, + 2.6%) and Wisconsin (3,000 jobs, +3.0%) also logged solid gains for the same period, while Ohio (-1,500 jobs, -0.8%) and Missouri (-400 jobs, 0.4%) logged declines.

The region didn't perform as well in month-to-month comparisons, with most states posting declines or modest gains. Illinois (2,300 jobs, 1.2%) made the strongest showing for the period, followed by Wisconsin (500 jobs, 0.5%), Missouri (200 job, 0.2%) Indiana (+100 jobs, 0.1%) and Michigan (-200 jobs, -0.1). Ohio lost 3,500 jobs ( -1.9%) between July and August, the worst decline of any state in the nation.

In all, construction firms added jobs in 36 states between August 2013 and August 2014, and in 28 states between July and August.

“The number of states with increases in construction employment over the last 12 months moderated in August but remained strongly positive as construction activity continues to spread across most of the nation,” says AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. “While most states remain far below pre-recession peak employment levels, more states are approaching previous highs and more contractors have been reporting difficulty in hiring qualified workers. These trends are likely to intensify if the recovery in construction continues.”

“Labor shortages are likely to become more severe without a better pipeline for preparing new workers,” adds AGC CEO Stephen E. Sandherr.