Construction spending in New York City is on track this year to surpass the record set just before the financial crisis as an all-time high in city jobs drives strong demand for new housing and office space, an industry association said on Tuesday.The New York Building Congress forecast construction spending this year will reach $43.1 billion, a 26 percent increase from 2015 and the first time the metric will have eclipsed the $40 billion mark in the city.The association projected spending of $42.1 billion in 2017 and $42.3 billion the year after as the biggest building boom since the 1980s changes the skyline in downtown Manhattan, its far West Side and in Long Island City across the East River.New York City employment has grown 18 percent since late 2009, the strongest pace in decades, as seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment rose to a record 4.3 million jobs in September, according to the state's Department of Labor.Growth in private sector jobs increased 2.3 percent in the city, faster than the U.S. average of 1.9 percent, as millennials seek to live, work and play in urban environments.