“Interpreting these data is often challenging,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “One could take these figures at face value and conclude that construction is thriving and driving demand for workers higher. Indeed, ABC’s Construction Confidence Indicator shows that the average contractor expects rising revenues and employment over the next six months.

“But June’s construction spending report indicates that overall residential and nonresidential construction spending continues to decline,” said Basu. “Accordingly, one might look for other explanations for rising construction job openings, including demographic considerations.

“Many contractors view a structural shortfall of skilled labor as their primary challenge because many highly experienced, productive workers are retiring,” said Basu. “It is conceivable that these workers are being replaced with less skilled and productive workers, thereby requiring a few workers to be replaced by many.

“Alternatively, the data may not be capturing all that transpires,” said Basu. “It may be that certain people who had been working in construction were doing so without proper documentation. At least some of these workers are no longer available at jobsites, inducing faster hiring and expanding job openings as contractors work to replace them.”

SEE ALSO: OUT OF OFFICE: WHEN INTERNAL WORKFORCE RELOCATION IS APPROPRIATE FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

The post Construction Job Openings Increase By 14,000 in June, Up 36% Year Over Year first appeared on Construction Executive.

Why are companies relying more on internal relocation instead of local hiring alone?

Companies are increasingly relying on internal relocation because business demands are moving faster than local hiring pipelines. In fast-growing markets, relocating existing employees allows organizations to quickly place experienced talent where it is needed most. Internal employees also bring valuable institutional knowledge, already understanding company culture, systems and safety standards, which reduces training time. Internal mobility is not replacing local hiring—it is complementing it. Many organizations are using a balanced approach, combining relocated internal talent with local recruitment to meet immediate needs while building long-term workforce strength in key markets.

How do you decide when to relocate someone for a specific project?

The decision to relocate someone for a specific project is typically driven by a combination of market demand, project complexity and timing. When project activity in a region begins to outpace the availability of local talent, organizations may turn to internal mobility to quickly fill critical roles and maintain momentum.

How has internal workforce mobility changed over the past few years?

Over the past few years, internal workforce mobility has become more intentional and proactive rather than a reactive solution to address a gap in support. As industries and markets evolve quickly, organizations are increasingly relying on internal moves to support fast-growing markets with specialized projects. Nashville is a great example of this. In addition to solving a need, employees are more open to relocation when the right opportunity aligns with their career goals. Advancements in remote collaboration tools and shared systems have also made transitions smoother and more seamless than in the past, enabling employees to integrate into new teams and roles with greater ease.

What types of markets are most likely to require talent migration?

The markets most likely to require talent migration are high-growth, high-demand markets where multiple large-scale projects are ramping up and local labor supply cannot keep pace. This is especially common in areas experiencing population growth, infrastructure expansion or significant private investment that increases demand for skilled workers in a short period of time. Importantly, this is not a challenge unique to any one city or region, it reflects a broader national pattern as fast-growing markets across the country compete for skilled talent to support economic and infrastructure development.

How does mobility help maintain quality and consistency across regions?

Internal mobility plays a critical role in maintaining quality and consistency across regions by helping organizations spread best practices and proven processes between offices and project teams. When experienced employees and leaders relocate to new or growing markets, they reinforce consistent safety cultures, quality standards and delivery approaches that align with the company’s core values and expectations. For companies like Skanska, internal talent movement helps establish the “Skanska way” on projects, ensuring a shared commitment to execution, collaboration and operational excellence.

How important is it for team members to work with other office locations frequently?

Regular cross-office engagement helps employees develop relationships, understand regional differences and align around shared processes and expectations, making transitions between locations much smoother when relocation opportunities arise. Compared to the past, advances in remote collaboration tools, shared systems and consistent workflows have made it easier for teams to work seamlessly across regions long before an employee physically relocates. As a result, workforce mobility is often more effective today because employees are already connected to colleagues, projects and company culture.

Could relocating team members disrupt chemistry/workflow—or improve it?

Relocating internal team members often strengthens chemistry and workflow rather than disrupting it. Because internal employees already understand the company’s culture, systems, expectations and ways of working, they are typically able to integrate into teams more quickly than an external hire. Shared values, established communication styles and familiarity with processes help create continuity and reduce friction, particularly on fast-moving projects. In many cases, internal mobility can actually improve collaboration by bringing fresh perspectives and experience from other markets while maintaining consistency in execution.

How best to ensure camaraderie amid transition?

Relocated employees often play an important role in this process because they can speak from firsthand experience about integrating into a new team, adapting to a different market and building relationships quickly. A strong, consistent company culture also helps reinforce teamwork by ensuring employees across regions share common values, systems and ways of working.

SEE ALSO: AI HITS THE JOBSITE: THE WORKFORCE TRAINING GAP

The post Out of Office: When Internal Workforce Relocation Is Appropriate for Construction Projects first appeared on Construction Executive.

The rapid buildout of data centers has triggered a hiring boom in the construction industry. Spending on data center facilities could reach as much as $7 trillion by 2030, with thousands of data centers currently underway and thousands more to be announced. The increased demand for construction jobs has created a strong pipeline for Gen Z entering the workforce.

With that said, Gen Z does not have hands-on experience like previous generations, and the industry is faced with the challenge of training a new generation in the complex tactical skills of estimating. Historically, knowledge transfer between veterans and newer estimators happened through years of proximity, learning to read drawing sets and price assemblies through repetition and correction. Now, leveraging technology and industry resources is the only way to equip newcomers with the skills needed to support the projected scale of AI infrastructure.

Less than a year ago, the rate of open construction jobs dropped to its lowest point in nearly a decade, thus renewed interest in construction jobs comes at a crucial time for the industry. The future of construction will depend on how effectively decades of institutional knowledge can be transferred from experienced professionals nearing retirement to the newcomers poised to replace them.

A Two-Sided Adoption Challenge

What makes the experience gap difficult to close is that it cuts in two directions, and most discussions of AI in construction address only one of them.

Many veteran estimators have built deep, trade-specific expertise inside legacy estimating platforms. For this group, adopting new AI-enabled tools is less of a skill issue and more so a technology latency issue. In their eyes, the methods they have used for years still work for them, so they are not motivated to learn new platforms. This is a key vulnerability of the profession, because if that group does not adopt new tools, their expertise stays hidden in workflows nobody else can see.

Newer estimators present the opposite risk. Handing an estimator an AI tool early in their career that can answer nearly any question raises the risk that they will rely on it instead of developing their own judgment. Getting answers isn’t the same as closing the experience gap. An estimator needs to learn how to find the right answers independently. The gap has simply been outsourced, which leads to problems when AI inevitably gets something wrong and no one on the team is positioned to catch it.

The industry’s approach to AI in estimating needs to account for both sides of that equation rather than focusing only on newer hires. Construction technology companies need tools that are trained by professionals who already know the trade, capture what is valuable about how they think and then transfer that knowledge to newer estimators in a way that builds skill rather than dependence.

Designing for Adoption and Depth 

Estimating software must satisfy two goals that are somewhat contradictory. It needs to be fast and accurate while answering in a way that provides a clear chain of reasoning that can be verified.

Speed is essential to user experience. A new estimator comparing a four-hour manual training to a twenty-minute AI-assisted one will choose the faster path almost every time, regardless of what’s happening underneath. However, speed without transparency trains estimators to trust outputs they can’t explain, which will lead to further problems down the line. 

The key to longevity is striking a balance; easy enough that a new estimator prefers using it, while preserving the source material and reasoning of legacy platforms. Every output should be traceable the same way a veteran would explain a number to an apprentice standing next to them. The goal should be to teach new estimators skills that are repeatable and train their instincts to identify how professionals arrive at conclusions.

That distinction is what separates a tool that can be widely adopted from one that erodes years of deep trade knowledge. An answer with no source teaches a new estimator nothing they can use again. An answer with a verifiable source teaches the underlying skill every time it is used. Software that can close the knowledge gap adequately prepares new estimators with the skills needed to do the job on their own if the software fails.

A Narrowing Window and Shortening Runway

Contractors, along with the CPAs, attorneys and suppliers who support them, are watching two trends collide at once: a construction labor market suddenly attractive to younger workers and a veteran workforce retiring faster than firms can replace it.

The industry should not see this as a crisis but as a window of opportunity for new talent to interact with veteran estimators before they age out of hands-on work. The data center boom has become an unexpected recruiter for the construction industry, handing the industry a new army of young talent with genuine interest in the work. What happens next is crucial to keeping workers around and keeping alive the legacy these firms have built.

It is critical that firms understand in order to maintain quality employees they need to pivot to strategies other than traditional training alone. For estimating departments specifically, that means the value of AI is not primarily about speed, though faster takeoffs and bids are a real byproduct. The true value is in capturing what departing professionals know before that knowledge leaves with them and putting it into the hands of the estimators arriving right now to take their place.

Ben Coffman is the Senior Vice President of Engineering and Product at STACK Construction Technologies.

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

The post Closing Construction’s Widening Workforce Experience Gap With AI first appeared on Construction Executive.

The problem is what comes next.

The Job They Were Promoted Into Isn’t the Job They’re Good At

When a skilled tradesperson becomes a foreman or project lead, they aren’t being asked to do more of what made them valuable. They’re often being asked to stop doing it. The work that built their reputation now belongs to someone else. Their job is to manage the person doing it.

Being good with your hands and being good with people are not the same skill. One you control directly, and the other you don’t control at all. You just influence it and hope. It can be a real jolt when this switch comes.

For a while, the excitement of the promotion carries them, but then something goes sideways and the title doesn’t help.

What Starts Going Through Their Head

It doesn’t usually hit all at once. A crew member questions a call in front of others. The new manager has to sit down with someone they used to eat lunch with and tell them their work isn’t good enough and halfway through realizes they have no idea how to have that conversation. A problem comes up that they can’t fix themselves and they sit on it too long because they’re not sure what to do.

Quietly, the doubts start. ‘Was I the best choice, or just the most convenient one?’ ‘Does the crew actually respect me, or are they going along with it?’ And then the one that tends to do the most damage: ‘What if the owner is starting to regret this?’

That last thought changes how a new manager behaves. When someone is afraid the person who promoted them is losing confidence, they stop making decisions based on what’s right and start making them based on what looks safe.

What That Looks Like in Practice

Some new managers get hard to talk to. That’s true in any industry. They start pulling rank on small things because it feels better than admitting they’re uncertain. The crew picks up on it fast, and once that dynamic sets in it’s difficult to undo.

Some stop deciding anything. Every question goes back up to the owner. It’s frustrating for everyone, and the crew figures out quickly that nobody is really running things.

Some go back to doing the work themselves. It’s where they feel capable, so that’s where they go. The crew notices a manager who doesn’t trust them, and the owner winds up paying foreman wages for tradesperson output.

The worst outcome is when a new manager goes quiet. They stop bringing problems to the owner because they’re worried that surfacing a problem will look like proof they can’t handle the job. So, issues sit. They get worse. And by the time the owner finds out, fixing them costs more than it would have, and the trust between manager and owner has taken a hit that’s hard to recover from.

None of this makes someone a bad hire. It makes them a person who was handed a genuinely hard job without much help.

The Conversation Too Many Owners Skip

The place to address all of this is before the promotion happens, not after.

Many owners offer a promotion the way they’d offer a raise. Here’s what we’re thinking, here’s what it pays, what do you say? That’s not enough. Before anything is decided, sit down and have a real conversation about what the role actually requires day to day and what’s going to be harder than it looks. And then ask the question some owners never ask. Do you actually want this?

Not every strong tradesperson wants to manage other people. Some would rather stay on the tools, do excellent work and go home. That’s a legitimate choice and a valuable one. An owner who creates room for that answer, and means it, earns real trust. An owner who never asks might end up with someone who said yes because they didn’t feel like they could say no.

If the person wants the role, be straight with them about what you’re asking. Managing people is a different job. There’s a learning curve. You’re going to be involved in helping them through it.

What That Help Actually Looks Like

A tradesperson doesn’t become skilled by reading about their trade. They work next to someone who knows what they’re doing and over time they figure it out. Bringing someone along as a manager works the same way.

The most useful thing an owner can do is connect a new field leader with someone who made this same move, someone who was once the best on a crew and worked out how to lead people without losing their respect. That person can say things no handbook can. They’ve been in the same position and they know what it actually felt like.

In a smaller company where that person doesn’t exist on staff, look outside. Another owner in a non-competing business can work, as can a contact through a local trade association. The conversation doesn’t have to happen in your building to matter.

Beyond the mentor, stop measuring a new manager’s first 90 days by project outcomes alone. The more honest measure is whether problems are getting to you before they blow up, and whether the new manager is having hard conversations instead of dodging them. If those two things are happening, the rest tends to follow.

Build in regular check-ins that aren’t performance reviews. At 30 days, keep it simple. What’s been harder than you expected? What do you need from me? You don’t have to make it a therapy session. Talk to them the same way you’d talk to anyone on your crew about a job that isn’t going quite right. At 60 days, go deeper. How is the crew responding to your direction? Where do you feel least sure of yourself? By 90 days you should be able to sit down together and have an honest read on what’s working. When you do this consistently, you’re telling your new manager that struggling out loud is okay. That changes everything about how they carry the job.

What You’re Really Investing In

A promotion handled this way does more than fill a role. It protects a job you’ve already invested in. You spent years developing that person’s skills, and a failed transition doesn’t just cost you a manager. It often costs you the worker too. Get it right and you’ve built something harder to find than a good tradesperson. You’ve built someone who can grow your crew while you’re focused on growing your business. That’s what makes it worth the extra time upfront.

The person who made that call on the way home, who felt like the years finally added up to something, they’re worth the investment. The owner who thought ahead about what comes after the good news is the one who gets to see what that person is actually capable of.

The tool belt they spent years building didn’t come with instructions. Someone showed them. This is no different.

SEE ALSO: LASTING IMPRESSION: STRATEGIZE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION WITH THIS SECRET WEAPON

The post From Tradesperson to Project Manager: The Day the Promotion Stops Feeling Like a Win first appeared on Construction Executive.

“Construction job openings rose to a 10-month high in May,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Unfortunately, that increase likely reflects exceptional demand for certain occupations critical to data center buildouts, like electricians, rather than increased industrywide demand for labor.

“The construction hiring rate fell sharply in May and, at 3.5%, matches February’s all-time low,” said Basu. “Rising layoff activity and a falling quit rate also suggest that demand for construction labor weakened in May. Despite these signs, contractors remain optimistic about growing their staffing levels, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.” 

SEE ALSO: THINKING OF AI AGENTS AS MEMBERS OF A CONSTRUCTION CREW

The post Construction Job Openings Rise to 10-Month High in May, Hiring Remains Historically Slow first appeared on Construction Executive.

The DEWALT study, AI in the Trades, underscores a paradox: Construction professionals overwhelmingly believe AI will define the future of the jobsite, yet very few are actually using it today. In the United States, 90% of construction professionals say AI will be indispensable within five years, but only 8% report using it as part of their day-to-day work.

This gap is not about skepticism. It is about access—specifically, access to training that is practical, relevant and aligned with how work actually gets done in the field.

A WORKFORCE READY—BUT NOT EQUIPPED

The data reveals a workforce that is not only open to AI, but actively expects it. Eighty-eight percent of respondents anticipate increased adoption in the next year, and 83% believe it will become standard within three years.

That level of consensus is rare in construction, an industry often characterized by cautious adoption curves. But belief alone does not translate into implementation. The critical barrier, cited consistently across the survey, is the lack of formal, job-relevant training.

“Tradespeople are the backbone of our industry, and their hands-on expertise is what brings every project to life,” says Bill Beck, president of tools & outdoors at Stanley Black & Decker. “As jobsites become increasingly complex and technology-driven, the need for practical AI training has never been more important.”

What Beck’s statement captures is a subtle but important shift: The industry is not asking whether tradespeople can adapt to AI—it is recognizing that they must. The question is whether the ecosystem supporting them—educators, contractors, manufacturers and associations—is moving fast enough to prepare them.

THE TRAINING GAP IS STRUCTURAL

One of the most striking findings from the study is where workers are currently turning for AI education. Instead of structured programs, tradespeople are largely self-teaching through informal channels: 40% rely on YouTube, 39% on platforms like Coursera and 42% prefer video tutorials.

This patchwork approach to learning is not sustainable for an industry where precision, safety and coordination are paramount. It also signals a deeper issue: Traditional training pathways—especially trade schools and apprenticeship programs—have not yet integrated AI into their curricula at scale.

That disconnect is widely recognized within the workforce itself. An overwhelming 87% of respondents say AI education must be embedded in trade schools and technical programs, while 59% emphasize the need for hands-on training tied directly to real construction tasks.

In other words, the workforce is not asking for abstract knowledge about AI. It is asking for applied learning: how to use AI for estimating, site monitoring, scheduling, procurement and quality control.

This is a critical distinction. Without contextualized training, AI risks becoming another underutilized technology—promising in theory but marginal in practice.

EARLY USE CASES POINT TO IMMEDIATE VALUE

Among the minority of early adopters, the use cases are already clear—and closely aligned with core construction workflows. Forty-six percent report exploring AI for site operations and monitoring, another 46% for planning and design, and 41% for estimation, procurement and supply-chain processes.

The benefits they report are equally tangible: increased productivity (35%), improved quality control (35%) and cost savings (34%).

These are not experimental gains. They go straight to the heart of project performance. Yet the fact that these benefits are concentrated among a relatively small group highlights the risk of a bifurcated workforce—where a subset of AI-enabled professionals pulls ahead, while the majority remains constrained by limited exposure and training.

From a workforce development perspective, that kind of divide could exacerbate existing labor challenges, including retention, wage disparities and skills shortages.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SKILLED LABOR GAP

The construction industry is already grappling with a well-documented labor shortage. AI has often been framed as part of the solution—helping workers do more with less and improving efficiency across projects.

But the DEWALT study suggests that without deliberate investment in training, AI could actually widen the skills gap rather than close it.

If AI proficiency becomes a differentiator, employers will increasingly compete for workers who possess both traditional trade skills and digital fluency. That raises the bar for entry into the workforce and places additional pressure on training systems that are already stretched.

At the same time, there is a clear opportunity. AI, when properly implemented, can enable skilled workers to focus more on high-value tasks—problem-solving, craftsmanship and decision-making—while automating repetitive or data-intensive processes.

As Beck notes, “Empowering our workforce with AI education is not just about keeping pace with technology—it’s about equipping tradespeople with the tools and knowledge they need to solve real-world challenges, drive productivity, and lead the industry forward.”

That framing positions AI not as a replacement for skilled labor, but as an amplifier of it.

RETHINKING APPRENTICESHIP AND EDUCATION MODELS

Perhaps the most immediate workforce implication is the need to rethink how training is delivered.

Traditional apprenticeship models have long emphasized hands-on learning, mentorship and incremental skill development. Those principles remain relevant—but they must now incorporate digital competencies alongside physical ones.

Recognizing this, DEWALT has begun piloting new approaches in partnership with Associated Builders and Contractors. A pilot program with ABC’s Central Florida chapter aims to deliver jobsite-relevant AI training to apprentices and early-career professionals, including case studies and real-world applications.

The company has also committed $75,000 to ABC’s Trimmer Construction Education Fund to support AI-related training initiatives nationwide.

These efforts are notable not just for their scale, but for their focus. They emphasize applied learning—connecting AI directly to the tasks workers perform every day.

“Education is vital to bringing fundamental AI skillsets to our future workforce,” says Matthew Abeles, ABC’s vice president of construction technology and innovation. “DEWALT’s commitment to providing AI resources to craft professionals… will be invaluable to improving safety and productivity on jobsites.”

For workforce leaders, the takeaway is clear: AI training cannot be an add-on. It must be integrated into the core of how the industry develops talent.

THE ROLE OF EMPLOYERS AND INDUSTRY LEADERS

While trade schools and associations play a critical role, employers themselves will need to take a more active stance in workforce upskilling.

The study shows that many workers already feel “somewhat or very prepared” to work with AI, despite limited formal training. This suggests a foundation of confidence that employers can build upon.

But translating that confidence into competence will require structured programs, mentorship and access to tools.

Initiatives like ABC’s “AI Toolbox Takeaways” webinar series—designed to help companies understand and adopt AI—represent one approach. But broader adoption will likely depend on integrating training into everyday workflows, rather than treating it as a separate activity.

That could include:

• Embedding AI tools into project management platforms
• Offering on-the-job training modules tied to specific tasks
• Creating cross-functional teams that pair tech-savvy staff with field professionals
• Incentivizing continuous learning through certifications and career advancement pathways

The goal should be to make AI literacy as fundamental as safety training or equipment operation.

A DEFINING MOMENT FOR THE WORKFORCE

The construction industry stands at a pivotal moment. AI is not a distant trend; it is already reshaping how projects are planned, executed and managed.

But the pace of technological change is outstripping the pace of workforce preparation.

If the current trajectory continues, the industry risks creating a mismatch between the tools available and the people equipped to use them. That mismatch could slow adoption, limit productivity gains and deepen existing labor challenges.

On the other hand, closing the training gap presents a powerful opportunity. By investing in AI education now—particularly at the entry and apprenticeship levels—the industry can build a workforce that is not only prepared for the future, but capable of shaping it.

As Beck emphasizes, “AI is starting to reshape the future of construction, and we need to make sure tradespeople are ready for it… [These programs are] about giving early-career workers and current pros access to the tools and skills that will matter on tomorrow’s jobsites.”

The message is straightforward: The technology is ready. The workforce is willing. The missing piece is training.

How the industry responds to that challenge will determine not just how quickly AI is adopted, but how effectively it transforms the construction workforce for decades to come.

SEE ALSO: VIRTUAL REALITY AND 360-DEGREE VIDEOS FOR THE JOBSITE

The post AI Hits the Jobsite: The Workforce Training Gap first appeared on Construction Executive.

Once an online application process is complete, scholarships, travel, housing and stipends for living expenses are granted to qualified job seekers. They will then participate in career readiness and safety training followed by five weeks of hands-on education, which includes core training and craft training.

“America’s Workforce Academy is a transformational endeavor creating incredible construction-ready careers. ABC is proud to work with Meta, CBRE and academy community partners to welcome all who want to build their career dreams as a professional in construction,” said Michael Bellaman, ABC president and CEO. “As an industry leader, ABC believes in creating opportunities for all on a level playing field and is ready to meet the industry’s needs and help individuals achieve their career dreams. ABC is honored to partner with Meta to expand the pipeline of data center construction workers.

“This new program is an innovative talent solution that is a critical part of addressing the construction industry’s ongoing workforce shortage and creates an accelerated, new-entrant strategy for job seekers,” said Bellaman. “Utilizing ABC’s existing, proven, nationwide educational ecosystem, these programs will be launched at ABC chapter training centers in key markets like Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis and Houston. This new, national partnership will help train the next generation of craft professionals from entry points such as high school graduates, veterans and more.”

“The AI revolution is bringing change but also historic opportunities,” said Meta President and Vice-Chairman Dina Powell McCormick. “Skilled workers electrified rural America one pole at a time. They manned the factories that built the arsenal that won World War II. Now a new generation will pour the foundations and lay the fiber that secures American strength in this new age.”

The American Workforce Academy partnershipwill:

• Build a Sustainable Talent Pipeline: establishes scalable, repeatable workforce development models that align industry, training providers and workforce systems to meet ongoing demand.
• Deliver Accelerated, Job-Ready Training: provides standardized, industry-aligned training that equips participants with the skills, safety knowledge and jobsite readiness needed to contribute quickly and effectively.
• Ensure Safety and Productivity From Day One: prepares participants to meet industry and project-specific safety standards and contribute productively on the jobsite from the outset.

“The sustained demand for data center construction technicians means the industry needs an all-of-the-above approach to address this shortage and grow the construction talent pool,” said Bellaman. “This important new partnership reaffirms that the construction industry offers careers of choice in today’s complex job market. These new entrants may be beginning their careers on data center projects but by learning multiple competencies, are starting a life-long career in construction with near limitless possibilities.”

ABC member contractors are building the people who build America’s critical infrastructure by investing in flexible, competency-based and market-driven education methodologies to cultivate their long-term skill sets, creating a brighter future for their workers and their families. They deliver long-lasting projects and employ multicraft professionals who go home safe, healthy and fulfilled every day. ABC and its members are working to recruit, educate and upskill the nation’s future construction workforce with a network of more than 800 apprenticeship, craft, safety and management education programs—including 450 government-registered apprenticeship programs—across 20 different occupations.

“Thanks to the crucial, established team members of ABC’s vast network, which includes the National Center for Construction Education and Research, ABC’s 67 chapters, ABC strategic partners and ABC business partners, as well as ABC’s Tech Alliance, we are ready to deliver this transformational construction career readiness program across the country,” said Bellaman.

If you want to help build America’s future, apply to America’s Workforce Academy today.

The post Meta, ABC Form Partnership to Launch Academy to Train and Create Jobs for Construction Craft Professionals first appeared on Construction Executive.

For these students, this isn’t the future of work. It’s just how work is done.

However, a disconnect occurs the moment these graduates hit the professional jobsite. According to NAHB and ACS data, Gen Z is entering the trades at a higher rate than Millennials did, drawn by the promise of high-tech, high-impact careers. But when they arrive, they often find themselves stepping back in time—entering a world of siloed scheduling and “bottlenecked” communication.

To retain this new influx of talent and solve the industry’s looming experience gap, we have to stop viewing technology as a tool for the office and start seeing it as the universal language that connects the trailer to the field.

The Bi-Directional Knowledge Loop

The common industry trope is that the veteran superintendent teaches the green project manager the ropes. While that institutional knowledge remains the lifeblood of any project, the flow of information has become a two-way street.

Gen Z grew up in an app-centric, visual computing world. They don’t just understand new technology; they expect it. We’ve seen this play out repeatedly: a young PM or field engineer is the one who initially gets excited about a new collaborative tool. They see the inefficiency of a static PDF schedule and introduce a real-time, visual alternative to their team.

The magic happens when the resistant veteran superintendent finally sees the value. Once that superintendent—who has decades of gut feel and field logic—gets their hands on a visual planning tool, the results are explosive. Their institutional knowledge, combined with a tool that allows them to communicate that knowledge instantly to the entire crew, creates a level of project agility that a static spreadsheet simply can’t match.

Bridging the Experience Gap With Visuals

The biggest hurdle for any new hire is the experience Gap—the years it takes to develop the spatial and logical reasoning required to manage a complex build.

Traditional scheduling is often abstract. A Gantt chart is a wall of bars and dates that requires a high level of translation to understand how it affects a specific crew on Tuesday morning. Gen Z, however, thrives on visual data.

Moving toward collaborative, visual planning accomplishes three things:

1. Democratizes the Schedule: When the plan is visual and accessible, it’s no longer the super’s secret. Everyone on site can see the ripple effect of a delay.
2. Accelerates Onboarding: A new hire can contribute faster when the workflow is intuitive. If the interface feels more like the collaborative software they used in school (or even the gaming logic they grew up with), the learning curve disappears.
3. Validate the Veteran: Visual tools allow a veteran to point at a conflict and say, “That won’t work because of X.” The tech-savvy new hire can then adjust the logic in real-time. The tech becomes the bridge, not the barrier.

Moving Beyond the Bottleneck

The traditional model of a single person owning the schedule is the ultimate bottleneck. It creates a lag between what is happening on the ground and what is reflected in the plan.

In the high-pressure environment of the ASC competition, students are taught that agility is a competitive advantage. If a subcontractor is late or a weather event hits, the plan must change instantly. Corporate construction must mirror this agility.

Transitioning from static, one-person schedules to collaborative workflows moves away from policing the schedule and toward facilitating the work. For a Gen Z hire, being part of a team that can adapt in real-time is a major factor in job satisfaction. They want to be part of a multiplayer environment where their input is reflected in the plan immediately.

The Bottom Line: Technology as a Retention Strategy

The ongoing labor shortage has struck up a war for talent. If the next generation enters into an environment that feels archaic, they won’t stay. They don’t want to work in silos; they want to work in sync.

The Gen Z shift is a massive opportunity for contractors to modernize their operations. By embracing the digital literacy of their newest hires and pairing it with the deep expertise of their veterans, construction companies won’t only be building projects more efficiently—they’ll be building a culture that the next generation actually wants to lead.

SEE ALSO: CONSTRUCTION NEEDS MORE BIM TECHNOLOGY AND MORE PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO USE IT

The post The Multiplayer Jobsite: Why Gen Z Is the Catalyst for Collaborative Planning first appeared on Construction Executive.

Nonresidential construction employment increased by 15,700 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential specialty traded added the most jobs, increasing by 11,400 positions. Heavy and civil engineering and nonresidential building added 2,600 and 1,700 jobs, respectively, in May.

The construction unemployment rate was 4.1% in May. Unemployment across all industries remained unchanged at 4.3% and is also unchanged from a year ago.

“The construction industry posted healthy job gains in May, especially within the nonresidential segment,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The industry’s recent job growth, driven by insatiable demand for data centers and ongoing growth in publicly funded construction activity, appears set to continue over the coming months. Contractors also remain broadly optimistic about growing their staffing levels over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index.

“The bigger story in the May jobs report, however, is the surprising strength of the broader labor market,” said Basu. “Economywide job growth has accelerated, rising to a pace not seen since the early months of 2024, and the unemployment rate held steady at a perfectly acceptable 4.3% in May. This is an indication of broader economic resilience, albeit one that is not necessarily encouraging for the construction industry.

“The combination of a stable labor market and resurgent inflation suggests that rate hikes are now more likely than rate cuts over the next several quarters, and high borrowing costs and tight lending standards will continue to weigh on construction activity during the months ahead,” said Basu.

SEE ALSO: THE SKILLED LABOR SHORTAGE IS HIDING PROJECT COSTS

The post Nonresidential Construction Adds Healthy 15,700 Jobs in May first appeared on Construction Executive.

Most conversations focus on wage pressure, but that is only part of the story.

When teams run lean, hidden costs stack up fast. Mistakes increase. Rework grows. Decisions slow down. Skilled staff spend time hunting for information instead of managing risk and driving progress. Those losses rarely appear as a line item. Instead, they show up as eroded margins.

In construction, labor often represents 30-50% of total project cost. A small drop in productivity hits hard. Picture a five-person project team losing one hour per day searching for files, clarifying email chains or tracking down the latest drawing. That equals 1,200 hours over a year. At $100 per hour, that is $120,000 lost on one project. Multiply that across a portfolio and the impact becomes material.

The issue is not effort. It is how teams manage information.

Thin Teams Expose Broken Information Flows

When staffing levels were higher, firms absorbed inefficiency. A senior project manager knew where everything lived. An admin tracked submittals in a spreadsheet. A superintendent kept notes that filled in gaps. Since the onset of the skilled-labor shortage, that cushion has disintegrated. Today, experienced staff manage more projects. Junior team members step into complex roles earlier. Turnover disrupts continuity. Institutional knowledge leaves with departing employees.

Common breakdowns include:

• Multiple versions of the same drawing across drives and cloud platforms
• Data siloing with RFIs in one system and submittals in another
• Critical decisions buried in email threads
• Chat conversations disconnected from the formal record
• No clear log of approvals

Each breakdown forces someone to stop and search. Each search delays a decision and increases the risk of error. In a labor constrained market, that drag becomes expensive.

The Hidden Cost of Poor Audit Trails

As schedules tighten, disputes increase, delays occur, change orders grow and owners demand documentation. When questions arise, firms scramble to reconstruct the record, staff dig through inboxes and file histories and often rely on memory to fill gaps. This reactive effort consumes senior time and increases risk. Incomplete documentation weakens your position in a claim—but a structured audit trail changes the equation.

Every document revision, email, submittal and decision ties back to the project record. Time stamps and version history are captured automatically. Communication links directly to the related file or workflow.

When a dispute surfaces, the team produces a clear timeline showing what was sent, approved and revised. That traceability reduces legal exposure and saves hours of reconstruction. When one claim can erase profit, clarity protects margin.

One View of the Truth Reduces Rework

Rework remains one of the largest cost drivers in construction. Research estimates it accounts for 5 -15% of total project cost. A meaningful share ties to outdated or conflicting information. Many firms respond by pushing for a single source of truth. The idea sounds efficient. Put all project data into one system. In practice, that rarely works.

Modern projects rely on specialized tools—designers use authoring platforms; contractors rely on scheduling software; cost teams use estimating systems; field crews depend on mobile apps. Forcing all data into one repository creates friction and duplicate entries.

You do not need a single source of truth. You need a single view of the truth. A single view connects information across systems without relocating it. Documents remain in native platforms—email stays in email, field data stays in field tools. What changes is visibility.

From one interface, a project manager accesses the current drawing, related RFI, approved submittal and the email thread explaining a change. Each item links together and reflects the latest version.

This unified view reduces the risk of building from outdated plans. It shortens response times and limits miscommunication because decisions connect to documentation.

If better visibility reduces rework by 1% on a $50-million project, that equals $500,000 preserved. Information alignment functions as financial control.

Email and Chat Are Part of the Project Record

Email and chat drive daily coordination, yet many firms treat them as personal tools rather than project assets. Important decisions occur in inboxes. Clarifications happen in chat threads. Attachments circulate outside formal systems. When those conversations remain isolated, knowledge fragments. When someone leaves the company, their inbox leaves with them.

A disciplined approach captures communication as part of the overall project view. Emails link to projects. Attachments are associated with relevant drawings or workflows. Chat discussions connect to formal records when they affect scope, cost or schedule.

The benefit is continuity. New team members review prior conversations without chasing individuals. Managers see the history behind decisions. Auditors trace communication alongside approvals. Reducing dependence on individual memory strengthens resilience.

Fast Onboarding Protects Productivity

Hiring remains difficult. When firms secure talent, they need contribution fast. Traditional onboarding often means access to a shared drive and informal guidance. It takes weeks to understand where information lives. A connected project environment shortens that ramp up period.

On day one, a new hire opens a dashboard showing active RFIs, pending submittals, current drawings and recent communication. They access revision history and approvals. They search across documents and emails from one place. Instead of asking where files are stored, they focus on managing scope and schedule.

If onboarding drops from eight weeks to four, you gain a month of productive work per hire. Across multiple hires, that recovered capacity compounds.

Ease of Use Drives Adoption

Information management only works when teams use it. Field engineers and project managers operate under pressure. If a system requires heavy manual input, adoption falls. Teams revert to email and spreadsheets.

Effective platforms align with how teams work. They integrate with familiar tools. They reduce duplicate entry by syncing data across systems. They automate capture of routine activity to build a reliable audit trail.

Consistent use improves data quality. Strong data supports better decisions and resource planning across the portfolio.

Information Management Is a Labor Strategy

Labor shortages will persist. Firms must recruit and retain talent. They also must protect the productivity of existing teams.

Information management must be part of that broader strategy. A full audit trail reduces dispute risk. A single view of the truth limits rework. Integrated communication preserves institutional knowledge. Faster onboarding accelerates contribution. Ease of use drives adoption.

The objective is simple: Reduce wasted hours, protect margin and strengthen continuity.

In a market where talent is scarce and schedules are tight, firms that control information reduce hidden costs and stay competitive.

SEE ALSO: HOW EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP EMPOWERS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES

The post The Skilled Labor Shortage Is Hiding Project Costs first appeared on Construction Executive.