Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C., experienced double-digit drops in construction employment, officials said.

Any flickers of encouragement in the nation’s overall unemployment level don’t appear to be helping construction workers, according to figures released Wednesday.

Construction employment between January 2009 and January 2010 dropped in all states and Washington, D.C., the Associated General Contractors of America reported. Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C., experienced double-digit drops in construction employment, officials said.

“Construction employment is dropping everywhere and plummeting almost everywhere,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Looking at this data, it is quite clear that the construction industry has yet to hit bottom.”

Overall, Simonson said, California lost the most jobs - 128,700. On a percentage basis, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and Florida lost the most construction-related positions. All posted drops greater than 20 percent.