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To support this, Safety Week launched a new technical bulletin series developed with the Technical Committee, informed by industry leaders, safety experts and skilled craft professionals. As part of 2026 planning, Safety Week launched a five-year vision to further deepen the culture of care centered around respect for the skilled craft to drive alignment in how health and safety is understood, owned and engineered across the entire project life cycle with all stakeholders. “I’ve even told members of the Trump team that we’re going to run out of electricians that we need to build out AI data centers,” Fink said to an audience at CERAWeek, an S&P Global energy conference hosted in Houston. Electrician jobs are expected to grow 9% over the next decade, according to the U.S. At the same time, Farley has warned that the country lacks the blue-collar workforce needed to support a manufacturing and infrastructure revival.

Thanks to AI, there will be an obliteration of entry-level jobs and the meaningless white-collar work. The building of datacenters has surged over the past few years and construction workers https://angliannews.com/record-rates-of-housing-construction-in-kirovograd.html on those projects are in such high in demand they’re seeing pay jumps of 25% to 30% compared to their previous jobs – and in some cases, much more. Among the reasons is that younger workers have gravitated away from working with their hands over the past few decades in lieu of office jobs. The numbers support these concerns. Ask anyone in the construction business and they’ll complain about the lack of skilled workers in their trade.

Besides that, the high turnover of workers in construction industry imposes a huge challenge of accomplishing the restructuring of work practices in individual workplaces or with individual workers. Other safety risks for workers in construction include hearing loss due to high noise exposure, musculoskeletal injury, chemical exposure, and high levels of stress. Proper safety equipment such as harnesses, hard hats and guardrails and procedures such as securing ladders and inspecting scaffolding can curtail the risk of occupational injuries in the construction industry. In 2017, more than a third of US construction fatalities (366 out of 971 total fatalities) were the result of falls; in the UK, half of the average 36 fatalities per annum over a five-year period to 2021 were attributed to falls from height. Skilled manual occupations include carpenters, electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, heavy equipment operators and masons, as well as those involved in project management.

The current event rental economy: Forecast, trends and expert insights

The all-sector PMI – which comprises services, manufacturing and construction reports for December – edged up to 50.4 from 50.1 in November, pointing to a small expansion across the economy. Get set for the working day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Output in the commercial sector also fell at the fastest pace in more than five and a half years in December, with the index at 42.

Overall, AI adoption will continue to be slow and steady, said Chris Love, AGC’s vice president of association and industry innovation. Examples include speeding up estimating, leveling the playing field in marketing and proposals and streamlining administrative work. That said, as Skanska and other large contractors, including Turner Construction, adopt these AI tools, smaller builders should also benefit, just as BIM, project management and VDC platforms have trickled down construction’s tech stack in recent years. “We’re seeing lots of innovation, lots of people working to overcome challenges like labor shortages, or challenges like remote versus near urban environments,” said Chris Gorthy, the leader of Redwood City, California-based DPR’s Advanced Technology core market group. “Meaning that as we start to document the return on investment, look at efficiencies, find areas to avoid the use of AI or even dial back the overarching panacea of promise and get to some real metrics, I think you’ll start to see stabilization in all of this.” Oracle’s Kunisch acknowledged the froth surrounding the sector’s projected growth as well, though believes AI is here to stay, as providers including Oracle find ways to make it useful for customers.

• In 2023, when he was shot in the clubhouse of the Rebels OMCG, he was able to get to the hospital using the same car — paid for by the Victorian taxpayer, according to the report.
• At the same time, the AI technology fueling the boom presents opportunities for builders to catch up to other industries and leverage technology to their advantage.
• Beyond data centers, however, the company noted wins in the commercial space, a sector that has seen some tougher sledding amid higher interest rates and developer uncertainty.
• “They’re working hard, they have good businesses, they pay their taxes, and they own land in real estate,” he explained.
• The total count of Construction companies in Plateau State with a website is 14.
• The construction industry is adapting to a new operating environment where tariffs, global instability, and supply chain volatility are no longer isolated events.

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At the same time, everything from residential move-ins to commercial openings are being delayed by extended lead times. The higher material and transportation costs are being passed downstream, contributing to increasing home prices and project bids. This is driven by ecommerce expansion and reshoring initiatives as demand for logistics infrastructure continues to rise.

Latest construction activity from firms survey

Wilkins noted the primary impact from the conflict would be higher energy prices and increased uncertainty. On the input costs side, the BCIS General Building Cost Index (GBCI) increased by 1.4% between 1Q2026 and 2Q2026, resulting in annual growth of 3.8%. Contractors continue to face competitive conditions, limiting the extent to which higher costs can be reflected in tender prices. Building costs are forecast to increase by 13.1% over the next five years, while tender prices are expected to rise by 15.5% over the same period, according to BCIS’s latest construction forecast data. BCIS produces five-year construction industry forecasts, covering projected costs, tender prices and output, and examining the latest construction market trends.

The construction industry is adapting to a new operating environment where tariffs, global instability, and supply chain volatility are no longer isolated events. Contractors can account for volatility in materials and labor costs through price escalation clauses and more flexible agreements, which are becoming standard practice. This construction supply chain breakdown is driving a shift toward more strategic, network-based supply chain models. Without detailed records, recovering costs becomes significantly more difficult. When disruptions https://214rentals.com/overalls-for-builders.html occur, response windows are often too narrow to mitigate impact effectively.

Jen-Rids Global Resources Limited aimed at providing general construction services for industries, institutions and commercial establishment Chibok Gifted Hands Construction Limited is Nigeria based construction company providing range of professional building construction services. Progress is being made internationally to decarbonise the sector including improvements to sustainable procurement practice such as the CO2 performance ladder in the Netherlands and the Danish Partnership for Green Public Procurement. Conclusions from industry leaders have suggested that the net zero transformation is likely to be challenging for the construction industry, but it does present an opportunity. The construction industry may require transformation at pace and at scale if it is to successfully contribute to achieving the target set out in The Paris Agreement of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C above industrial levels.

Despite slumping sales, prices in Orlando housing market reach all-time highs

Overall, the ConTech funding landscape in May 2026 reflects a maturing market where capital is flowing into more targeted, high-impact solutions rather than broad, general-purpose platforms. Companies in these segments are attracting capital as contractors and developers continue to adopt software that streamlines preconstruction planning, improves safety monitoring, and enhances real-time project visibility. The overall trend suggests that investors are increasingly prioritizing solutions that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and address long-standing productivity challenges in construction. Venture capital activity remains active across AI-driven tools, automation platforms, procurement systems, and jobsite intelligence solutions, reflecting the industry’s ongoing shift toward digitization and data-led project management. Building Alignment Through a Five-Year PlanSince 2014, the industry has advanced best practices and increased focus on vital issues including mental health.