As of September, Amarillo employed approximately 7,300 construction, mining and logging workers, the most since the Great Recession began taking shape in 2008. With few mining and virtually no logging operations in Amarillo, nearly all 7,300 workers make a living in some type of construction job. This is in stark contrast to January and February 2012, when only 5,600 Amarilloans were employed in construction. Former laborers took their calloused hands to the oil fields, Western Builders president Jerry Rohane said, and others were laid off by downsizing. read more