Employment in Iowa’s construction work force held steady last month as 19 states added jobs in the embattled industry, according to the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Based on an analysis of state employment data released by the Labor Department, the AGC said Texas added the largest number of jobs, followed by Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. Construction employment fell in 27 states and the District of Columbia, with Maine posting the largest month-over-month decline at 4.7 percent. “These data show that recovery is spotty and variable in construction, as the location and number of states with job gains retreated from the levels in February,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “While three states posted healthy year-over-year employment gains of more than five percent and North Dakota reached an all-time high in construction employment, West Virginia lost one out of nine construction jobs in the past year.”