Construction employment rose in many metropolitan areas between August 2012 and August 2013, the Associated General Contractors of America reported.

Work levels rose in 194 metro areas year-over-year during the month, the association said. Officials said employment declined in 88 and was flat in 57 during the past year.

“It has been a tough decade for much of the construction industry, considering that many areas experienced peak employment levels in the middle of the last decade,” said Stephen Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “More troubling, it will take a lot more growth before significantly more metro areas get back to peak employment levels in construction.”

 Long Angeles, Houston and Boston led with the largest number of job gains. The largest losses were in Sacramento, Calif., and Gary, Ind.