Construction added 17,000 jobs in May with growth across both residential and nonresidential sectors. Hourly wages climbed 5.0 percent year-over-year, reflecting tighter labor market conditions in the industry.
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Construction experts warn that roughly half of non-residential sectors will outpace inflation while others contract, making strategic sector and geography selection critical for contractors. Successful firms should prioritize winning private projects early before competitive bid windows open, while private planning activity remains elevated.
SS Innovations is developing surgical robots designed to be transportable by air for delivering emergency medical care in active war zones and remote locations. The company is working through engineering challenges to make surgical robotics mobile and deployable beyond traditional hospital settings.
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District will deploy OceanWell's deep-sea desalination pods in Santa Monica Bay this fall to produce fresh water with reduced energy consumption and minimal brine waste. The technology represents an innovative approach to water production that could offer construction and infrastructure projects a more efficient desalination alternative.
Amazon's Proteus mobile robot now accepts natural-language commands, eliminating the need for specialized programming or instruction codes. The company plans to deploy Proteus alongside robots named STARK and Vulcan across European facilities.
Las Virgenes Municipal Water District will test OceanWell's deep-sea desalination pod in Santa Monica Bay this fall to produce fresh water with reduced energy consumption. The innovative technology generates less brine and salty byproducts than conventional desalination methods, offering a more efficient alternative for water production.
Generalist has secured $400M in funding to scale its general-purpose AI models, which the company claims achieve 99% success rates on tasks where previous models only reached 64%. This advancement in AI performance could significantly improve automation and efficiency across construction operations and decision-making processes.
Contractors should evaluate bid opportunities using a structured approach that weighs profitability, project fit, risk, and win probability to avoid wasting estimating resources. Six key factors—client, project, contractor, bidding, market, and economy—drive most decisions on whether to pursue a project.
A remodeler transitioning from field work to office management discovered that focusing solely on revenue masked profitability problems until tracking simple project-level metrics revealed the true financial picture. Paying attention to basic numbers like material costs and trade partner bids against estimates transformed how he managed the business and made decisions.
Voyager Technologies has acquired Astrobotic to expand lunar cargo delivery and reusable rocket capabilities. The investment aims to scale Astrobotic's programs that could support future construction and resource utilization on the moon.
Trimble has integrated The Work Number from Equifax into its Vista and Spectrum construction management software, giving customers access to employment verification services. This integration streamlines income verification and documentation processes for construction firms and their workers.
UT Austin researchers have developed a more accessible method for semiconductor printing that scales down Extreme Ultraviolet lithography technology for research purposes. This breakthrough could enable more universities and institutions to conduct meaningful semiconductor research without the prohibitive costs of commercial-scale manufacturing equipment.
Heat illness prevention requires planning and preparation before workers arrive at the jobsite, including hydration protocols, acclimatization schedules, and monitoring systems. Contractors should establish baseline safety measures and educate crews on heat risks during the pre-work phase rather than waiting for hot conditions to develop.
Mach Industries, an autonomous defense manufacturer, raised $300M to accelerate government contracts, hire talent, and develop products. The funding will help expand the company's operations and scale its autonomous defense solutions.
The Chemical Safety Board released a final report on a fatal November 2024 blast at a Givaudan facility in Louisville, Kentucky, emphasizing that operators must ensure equipment functions within safe operating limits. The investigation highlights the critical need for better awareness of equipment limitations to prevent similar incidents in the chemical processing industry.
Autodesk University 2026 will take place in Las Vegas and focus on digital collaboration tools that have become essential in construction. The event aims to help professionals build relationships, invest in training, and drive innovation across the industry.
Texas A&M University researchers are studying how the human body manages heat and blood flow in altered gravity conditions during spaceflight. Findings from this research could provide valuable insights for workers operating in extreme environments, including construction sites with harsh conditions.
RoboBusiness 2026 is accepting speaker applications from experts in commercial robotics development and business. The event brings together builders and developers working on robotics solutions for industry.
Kentucky's Injury Prevention and Research Center issued a hazard alert after five tow truck operators were killed by passing vehicles over the past decade, highlighting critical safety risks for roadside assistance workers. The alert provides specific case details and safety recommendations to protect workers operating in high-traffic roadside environments.
Festo has introduced a lightweight pneumatic gripper designed for collaborative robots that can work across different robotic platforms. The gripper's GripperAI technology allows it to grasp objects without requiring prior training, potentially streamlining automation integration on job sites.
Boston University won the MassRobotics Form & Function Challenge at the Robotics Summit, demonstrating competitive advances in robotics technology. The event showcased innovations across healthcare, physical AI, and startups, highlighting the growing role of robotics in industry applications.
A skilled labor shortage is masking true project costs that contractors may not fully realize. Better information management systems can help reveal these hidden expenses and their impact on project budgets.
OSHA has announced upcoming public hearings to gather feedback on workplace safety regulations and standards. Construction firms and safety professionals should plan to participate or submit comments during this comment period.
The Associated General Contractors of America is suing New York State over an expansion of prevailing wage requirements that would apply to more construction projects. The lawsuit challenges what AGC argues are excessive labor cost mandates that impact project budgets and competitiveness.