Iowa was one of a minority of states that saw more construction jobs in the past year. Construction employment declined in 165 out of 337 metropolitan areas between July 2011 and July 2012, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released Tuesday by the Associated General Contractors of America. In Iowa, construction employment increased 3 percent to 73,800 jobs while Greater Des Moines construction employment increased 1 percent to 15,200 jobs. “Construction employment is healthy in the handful of areas where private sector demand is on the rebound,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “However, construction employment in most metro areas is suffering from the effects of tepid private sector demand and shrinking public sector construction budgets.”