"Everything I've seen would seem to indicate that we should be up," Russell Hamley, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston, said in response to a jobs report showing the region has shed 2,300 construction jobs between May and June. Jeff Nielsen, executive vice president of the Houston Contractors Association, said civil construction like roads and utilities hasn't seen the dip in activity that commercial construction did. Jankowski said the losses may come from smaller contractors not represented by big industry associations and which may not have had the capability to secure big jobs and maintain payroll throughout the downturn, when demand evaporated from major oil and gas companies.